NY Islanders rookie Matthew Schaefer earns high praise from Leafs John Tavares

The former face of the New York Islanders franchise and a No. 1 overall pick himself had high praise on Tuesday for rookie phenom Matthew Schaefer, whose historic rookie season continues to turn heads across the NHL.

Tavares didn’t hold back when asked about the 18-year-old defenseman.

“He's doing things only a handful of players have done,” Tavares said. “It's extremely, extremely impressive. He's not just a franchise player, but he's certainly put himself in a generational type of a talent category.”

Coming from Tavares, the compliment carries extra weight. The Islanders selected him first overall in the 2009 NHL Draft, and he quickly became the cornerstone of the organization for nearly a decade. Now, he sees a similar kind of transformative talent emerging in Schaefer.

What makes Schaefer’s season even more remarkable is how quickly he has taken control of games from the blue line. The rookie defenseman has already broken multiple age-related records while leading the Islanders in ice time on several nights — something rarely seen from an 18-year-old.

Schaefer’s skating, offensive instincts, and confidence with the puck have drawn comparisons to some of the league’s most dynamic players. Night after night, he has demonstrated the ability to control play through the neutral zone, create scoring chances on his own, and dictate the pace of the game. Tavares wasn't even a Calder Trophy finalist his rookie year; Schaefer is a lock.

For Islanders fans, they may still carry mixed (or not) emotions about Tavares, but hearing that kind of endorsement from their former No. 1 overall pick only reinforces what they’ve been seeing all season.

Matthew Schaefer isn’t just living up to expectations. He may already be exceeding them. Islanders fans hope he exceeds what Tavares accomplished on Long Island, and unlike Tavares, never leave.