The New York Islanders slim playoff hopes took a major hit today as it was revealed that their star centre, leading scorer, and captain John Tavares suffered MCL damage and a torn meniscus during Canada’s win over Latvia in Sochi. He will miss the remainder of the NHL season.
Tavares was injured when he was hit along the boards by Latavian defenceman Arturs Kulda. He went down in a heap and was in obvious pain. While he was able to skate off the ice, it was clear that he was feeling the effects in his knee. Further medical tests revealed the extent of the injuries.
The 23-year-old was playing on the fourth line for Canada. While the lines have rotated quite a bit, he was playing with Patrick Sharp and Rick Nash in Wednesday’s game. He did not record a point in his four Olympic games, though he looked dangerous at times despite the limited ice time. Tavares has 24 goals and 66 points in 59 games this season. He currently sits third in NHL scoring.
Last season, Tavares was a finalist for the Hart Trophy. He led the Islanders to their first playoff spot since 2007, scoring 28 goals and 47 points in 48 games.
Canada will face the United States, who beat the Czech Republic 5-2 today, in Friday’s semi-final. The game will be played at noon EST.
Matt Duchene of the Colorado Avalanche, who was a healthy scratch in today’s game, will take Tavares spot on the Canadian roster.
Meanwhile the news likely means that the Islanders are in full sell mode. Possible trade bait includes unrestricted free agents-t0-be Thomas Vanek and Andrew MacDonald.
The Islanders next game is February 27th against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Note: Many including my colleague Russ McKenzie (@lastwordBigMick) have pointed to this injury, and others, as reason why the NHL will not participate in the 2018 Olympics. I have to point out that the NHL’s rumoured plan is to re-start the World Cup of Hockey instead. This presents the same injury risk to NHL players. The issue with the South Korean games remains the same as it always was, the NHL receives no direct compensation from the IOC for appearing at the games, and the games will be played at strange times (due to time zones) restricting the number of casual fans who will watch games out of Korea.
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