New York Islanders Player Grades: John Tavares

Evaluating New York Islanders captain John Tavares won’t be hard. It’s basically the same thing every year: excellent. Next!

John Tavares is the present and future of this franchise. Without him, the New York Islanders aren’t anything more than a ragtag bunch of hockey players. And with that being said, I still feel like Josh Bailey was the most consistent Isles player this season.

It’s almost unfair to Tavares. If he’s anything but less than a point per game it’s a down year. Even when he’s led the team in points with 66. Ten more than the next player (Josh Bailey with 56).

But that’s part of the deal when you’re as supremely talented as Tavares is. When you’re the captain. And when you average 0.92 points per game in your career before this season.

He Ain’t Quite Right

Something was going on in the first half of the season. We’ll never know what it was. But something was clearly off.

Tavares wasn’t his usual self on the ice, scoring at 0.78 points per game pace. And the team was toiling at the bottom of the standings in the east.

Must Read: Tavares Always Gets Better in Second Half

Whether it was Capuano’s antiquated system or players got just as sick as fans hearing about puck luck Tavares just didn’t live up to his elite status in that first half.

Thankfully he and the Isles had a much better second half. The Isles went 24-12-4 under new head coach Doug Weight and Tavares scored 34 points in 35 games.

Did Everything Else

When Casey Cizikas went out with injury again, it was Tavares that was put in his penalty killing spot. And he was fantastic.

When the team seemed destined for a nice draft lottery pick, Tavares kept the team focused on the goal of reaching the playoffs. Something they missed by the thinnest of margins.

When the media constantly hounded him with speculation on his future, he answered honestly and graciously that he wants to stay with the Islanders.

But again, when you’re the captain and the present and future of this franchise this comes with the territory. He delivered, but he was supposed to. It doesn’t gloss over that poor start to the season.

Next: Add Michael Dal Colle to the Trade Bait List

Tavares did and has done everything for this team. But that can’t negate that slow start. Scoring at 0.78 points per game in the first 42 games still happened. Maybe if Capuano was fired a month or two earlier it might not have. I think Tavares would agree that he had an okay season, but not a great one.

Final Grade: A-