If Tavares is the best player in the league the NHL is in trouble.

If Tavares is the best player in the league the NHL is in trouble.
- lloyd095

You finding this funny tells me you have'nt watched the kid play too much.
- Cptmjl

I have. Ovechkin is miles ahead of the kid, and its not even close. and i HATE Ovechkin, but numbers don't lie. Ovechkin had 100+ more points then Tavares in his first 3 seasons, and won a Hart trophy.

- Vukota

The truth...

JT is a great hockey player, and one that I would kill to have on the Sabres, but hes not even close to Ovi, nor will he be by the end of his career.

I dont think JT ever reaches 100 points in a season. Ovi did it his rookie year on one of the worst teams in the NHL.
- theblueandgold

Really?!?

I have. Ovechkin is miles ahead of the kid, and its not even close. and i HATE Ovechkin, but numbers don't lie. Ovechkin had 100+ more points then Tavares in his first 3 seasons, and won a Hart trophy.
- cap1681

Exactly!!! Ovechkin, Toews, Stamkos, any of them are better without agument

The truth...
- lloyd095

Nobody said he is the best player in the league. He is only 22 yrs old and already one of the better players in the league. Scary once he hits his prime. I also understand you despise the Isles and anything you say about them is taken with a grain of salt

Nobody said he is the best player in the league. He is only 22 yrs old and already one of the better players in the league. Scary once he hits his prime. I also understand you despise the Isles and anything you say about them is taking with a grain of salt
- Vukota

Believe me I hate Ovechkin way more than any Islander so you can take it however you like.

I'll book that bet The guy has been playing with leftovers his first couple of years. Once he gets a top flight power forward on his line he will surpass 100 points no problem he is that good. He had around 82 points last year and is a point per game pace now with Brad Facking Boyes playing with him.

This shouldn't even be a discussion right now. Crosby is the clear cut winner. JT's time will come. Just not right now
- Vukota

I'm not confident enough to make a bet on it. Let me put it this way, if he does reach 100 points, I wont be surprised. I just dont think he ever will.

Nobody said he is the best player in the league. He is only 22 yrs old and already one of the better players in the league. Scary once he hits his prime. I also understand you despise the Isles and anything you say about them is taken with a grain of salt
- Vukota

Tavares is a superstar, but i don't see him being in the same breathe as Crosby, Ovechkin, Stamkos, and Malkin. These guys have been elite since their first seasons in the NHL, and are all still relatively young.

I have. Ovechkin is miles ahead of the kid, and its not even close. and i HATE Ovechkin, but numbers don't lie. Ovechkin had 100+ more points then Tavares in his first 3 seasons, and won a Hart trophy.
- cap1681

I just looked to compare their first 3 years. And to try to make things a little more fair, I used percentage of goals scored by the player for the team, so that it accounts for good teams or bad teams the player played on. So, int heir first 3 NHL season:

Washington - 702 Goals
Ovechkin - 163 Goals (23.2%)

NY Islanders - 635 Goals
Tavares - 84 Goals (13.2%)

I'm not trying to say Tavares is bad, or that his linemates are/were as good as Ovechkin's (they obviously weren't). But Ovechkin accounted for 10% more of his team's goals, and wonder the Calder on a team that finished 27th overall. He may be better, but he's not quite there yet.

Tavares is a superstar, but i don't see him being in the same breathe as Crosby, Ovechkin, Stamkos, and Malkin. These guys have been elite since their first seasons in the NHL, and are all still relatively young.
- cap1681

I agree. The only thing I will say is that Tavares has never played with talent even remotely close to what the others on that list have played with. That's why I'm curious to see what he does when some of their prospects develop or they bring in some serious talent to help him.

All th the MVP candidadtes from the east huh? Well with the exception of Detroit and Chicago which are are practically eastern and get the bulk of the 'western confrence coverage'. Really? Nash, Ladd, and Kadri made your list? Im just shocked you didnt have Vorachuk up there.

That being said, asssuming Isles make the playoffs yes Tavares should win the Heart

I'm not confident enough to make a bet on it. Let me put it this way, if he does reach 100 points, I wont be surprised. I just dont think he ever will.
- theblueandgold

Fair Enough. I think he will. If he had a guy like Nash on his wing he would do it right now

All th the MVP candidadtes from the east huh? Well with the exception of Detroit and Chicago which are are practically eastern and get the bulk of the 'western confrence coverage'. Really? Nash, Ladd, and Kadri made your list? Im just shocked you didnt have Vorachuk up there.

That being said, asssuming Isles make the playoffs yes Tavares should win the Heart
- SJFreez19

Of who?!?!?!? Did they turn the NHL into a dating show without telling me???

And by the way, this is a ridiculous topic. Tavares is very good, no doubt, but he's not deserving of the MVP over Crosby. Even with the game he's missed, Crosby is still 6 points up in the scoring lead and is averaging 1.55 points per game, whereas Tavares isn't even breaking a point per game level. Crosby is a league leading +26 and Tavares is a -5. How in God's name could anyone justify giving the Hart trophy to a MINUS player? Yes, Malkin is on the Pens, but aside from the powerplay, the two don't play together. Should Gretzky have not won the MVP just because he played on a team with Messier, Kurri, Coffey etc? And as far as who Crosby does play with, both Kunitz and Dupuis are not heralded snipers, but they go from being solid players to being part of the best line in hockey when playing with Sid. Crosby is the MVP and it isn't even close.
- Emperor Filonius

Nothing against Crosby. He is great and had a great season and and has scored a ton of points despite missing quite a few games but the Most Valuable PLAYer has to actually play.

Eklund: Could Tavares Swipe Hart Trophy w/ Late Push?
- Eklund

How could you include Kadri, Subban and Ladd but not Getzlaf?

Do you watch a lot of SJ but no Anaheim?

Of who?!?!?!? Did they turn the NHL into a dating show without telling me???
- cap1681

Hopefully he wins the raffle to rip Bettman's beating heart from his body.
Actually, I just hope that raffle exists.

I think Crosby should win and probably will win the Hart... But with that being said Tavares is and might be the most important player to his team, more then anyone one other players to their respective team.

Also everyone of these players everyone has named are all different.

Crosby = Best player in the league hands down. Playmaking, vision and scoring is off the charts. Would probably be best player ever if can stay healthy.
Malkin = Another great player, probably slightly behind Crosby. Also needs to stay healthy.
Stamkos = Probably "the" best goal scorer in the league.
Ovechkin = Slightly behind Malkin in the player rankings but adds a physical presence the other do not.
Tavares = In the same area as Stamkos and Ovechkin but IMO has the better all-around game then both of them. Great playmaker and passer that has the hands and moves to finish. But in 3 years has gone from everyone saying he can't skate and play defense to being one of the best skaters on the ice and plays a respectable defensive game.

Just my two cents...

Nothing against Crosby. He is great and had a great season and and has scored a ton of points despite missing quite a few games but the Most Valuable PLAYer has to actually play.
- SJFreez19

Does he? He's the best player in the league and it's not even close. He's a Gretzky or Lemeuix type that is so much better than everyone else. Might still win scoring.

I think Crosby should win and probably will win the Hart... But with that being said Tavares is and might be the most important player to his team, more then anyone one other players to their respective team.

Also everyone of these players everyone has named are all different.

Crosby = Best player in the league hands down. Playmaking, vision and scoring is off the charts. Would probably be best player ever if can stay healthy.
Malkin = Another great player, probably slightly behind Crosby. Also needs to stay healthy.
Stamkos = Probably "the" best goal scorer in the league.
Ovechkin = Slightly behind Malkin in the player rankings but adds a physical presence the other do not.
Tavares = In the same area as Stamkos and Ovechkin but IMO has the better all-around game then both of them. Great playmaker and passer that has the hands and moves to finish. But in 3 years has gone from everyone saying he can't skate and play defense to being one of the best skaters on the ice and plays a respectable defensive game.

Just my two cents...
- Bags502

Malkin shouldn't even be brought up talking about the Hart this year. 7 goals and not playing at last years level.

Tavares isn't at that tier and lets not make Tavares out to being good defensively. He's good but out of the young guys I would rather have Taylor Hall, Nazem Kadri, or Claude Girouix. There is a bunch of players that can easily be put in an argument of being better than him.

Malkin shouldn't even be brought up talking about the Hart this year. 7 goals and not playing at last years level.

Tavares isn't at that tier and lets not make Tavares out to being good defensively. He's good but out of the young guys I would rather have Taylor Hall, Nazem Kadri, or Claude Girouix. There is a bunch of players that can easily be put in an argument of being better than him.
- lloyd095

Wow....just...wow.

Malkin shouldn't even be brought up talking about the Hart this year. 7 goals and not playing at last years level.

Tavares isn't at that tier and lets not make Tavares out to being good defensively. He's good but out of the young guys I would rather have Taylor Hall, Nazem Kadri, or Claude Girouix. There is a bunch of players that can easily be put in an argument of being better than him.
- lloyd095

Defensively or just overall you would rather have them?

I think Crosby should win and probably will win the Hart... But with that being said Tavares is and might be the most important player to his team, more then anyone one other players to their respective team.

Also everyone of these players everyone has named are all different.

Crosby = Best player in the league hands down. Playmaking, vision and scoring is off the charts. Would probably be best player ever if can stay healthy.
Malkin = Another great player, probably slightly behind Crosby. Also needs to stay healthy.
Stamkos = Probably "the" best goal scorer in the league.
Ovechkin = Slightly behind Malkin in the player rankings but adds a physical presence the other do not.
Tavares = In the same area as Stamkos and Ovechkin but IMO has the better all-around game then both of them. Great playmaker and passer that has the hands and moves to finish. But in 3 years has gone from everyone saying he can't skate and play defense to being one of the best skaters on the ice and plays a respectable defensive game.

Just my two cents...
- Bags502

No. Looking like a first-ballot HOFer, but no.

No. Looking like a first-ballot HOFer, but no.
- jmatchett383

I'm a Pens fan, and i agree with you. No one will ever be at the level of Gretzky or Lemieux.