John Tavares had one hell of a game on Thursday, scoring a goal and two assists in the Islanders 5-4 victory over the Florida Panthers in Game 1 of their best-of-seven playoff series. Tavares’ teammate Travis Hamonic offered the highest praise possible on Friday, calling Tavares the “best player in the league.”
In an interview with Newsday’s Mark Hermann, Hamonic said he’s lucky he gets to suit up alongside Tavares and is not matched up against him.
“I’ve said that a lot,” Hamonic added. “I see him every day and I’m glad he’s on our side. He’s a heck of a player. The last handful of games he’s been carrying us and (Thursday) was no different.”
Hamonic is obviously biased, but Tavares is a star player for the Islanders. In his seven seasons, the 25-year-old has scored 207 goals and 471 points in 510 career games. He’s the Islanders best player and tremendously impactful, but he’s not the best player in the league.
Tavares has only once averaged more than a point per game and has hit 30+ goals only three times. Those are fantastic individual numbers, but when I think best players in the league I think of bonafide offensive stars like Alexander Ovechkin or Erik Karlsson or defensive studs with offensive talent like Patrice Bergeron and Anze Kopitar. I’d rank Tavares a tier below those players. He’s still an amazing talent, but not the best.
[theScore]
