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Tavares hand surgery/Ladd report card |
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Islanders captain John Tavares underwent hand surgery last month, according to Newsday.
Tavares will be out of the cast next week and will begin his offseason workouts.
Tavares had lingering issues with his right hand throughout the season, which probably explained his struggles last season. The captain had 28 goals and 38 assists in 77 games. He missed the final five games of the season after injuring his hamstring against the New Jersey Devils.
It will be a busy offseason for Tavares as he can sign an extension with the Islanders beginning July 1. Newsday reports that the Islanders will likely offer an eight-year deal worth $10 million annually. As much as general manager Garth Snow gets blamed for everything you have to give him credit when its due. Some of the contracts he handed out ended when Tavares's deal did. He has almost $23 million coming off the cap after next season. Mikhail Grabovski's five million will go right to Tavares.
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New York Islanders general manager Garth Snow's game plan for the summer of 2016 was plain and simple, sign Steven Stamkos. Snow went as far as ignoring impending UFA Kyle Okposo and his agent. Stamkos ended up re-signing with the Lightning on June 29. Snow still had some time to negotiate with Okposo before July 1 but ultimately went in a different direction and signed Andrew Ladd to a seven-year deal worth $38.5 million.
The two-time Stanley Cup winner would finally give the Islanders a first-line winger for captain John Tavares, or so they thought. Ladd opened up the season with Tavares and another July 1 acquisition Jason Chimera. That line did not stay together long as Ladd went goalless in the first 12 games. He quickly found himself bouncing from line to line and even spent some time on the fourth line. It looked like Snow's prized free agent was going to be a bust. The 31-year-old set career lows in the advanced metrics and plus/minus.
Ladd's disastrous first half could be contributed to an ongoing back injury he had that needed surgery the previous season. Interim head coach Doug Weight sat Ladd out for four games. The break did wonders for Ladd as he finished the season strong, scoring 15 goals in the final 37 games. Ladd finished with 23 goals, his sixth 20-goal season of his career. He was the only player in the NHL to score 20 or more goals and have fewer than 10 assists.
It will be curious to see a healthy Ladd will once again start the season playing alongside Tavares.
2016-17 final grade: C
Check out our previous report cards
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