{"id":42563,"date":"2019-02-27T08:00:16","date_gmt":"2019-02-27T13:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=42563"},"modified":"2019-02-26T21:29:09","modified_gmt":"2019-02-27T02:29:09","slug":"leafs-john-tavares-criticism-unwarranted","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2019\/02\/27\/leafs-john-tavares-criticism-unwarranted\/","title":{"rendered":"Toronto Maple Leafs John Tavares Criticism From Former Fanbase Unwarranted"},"content":{"rendered":"

Thursday, February 28th, 2019. A date many New York Islanders<\/a> fans circled on their calendars last summer. What makes this such a noteworthy day is the return of former franchise Centre and team captain John Tavares<\/a>. <\/b>The issue many around the hockey world have had with this reaction is the motive behind it. What should be an opportunity to thank the former Captain for his service is shaping up to be a night full of boos inside Nassau Coliseum. Reflecting on John Tavares tenure as an Islander, his criticism amongst his former fans feels unfair.<\/p>\n

John Tavares Criticism Misguided<\/b><\/h1>\n

Since leaving as an unrestricted free agent last summer to join his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a>, Tavares has been public enemy number one amongst Islanders fans. With that said, the backlash from Islanders fans has not been more extreme than it was in News 12 Long Island’s “Dear John” video released today:<\/p>\n

https:\/\/twitter.com\/spittinchiclets\/status\/1100460772549971971<\/p>\n

As Barstool sports popular hockey podcast “Spittin’ Chiclets” states, this is not a good look for Isles fans. This hatred and anger feels misguided from the outside looking in.<\/p>\n

Ownership\/Front Office To Blame<\/h2>\n

As Vice Sports’ Dave Lozo first pointed out last summer, Islanders fans should be putting the blame on the team itself<\/a>. With no signs of a contract extension coming, management decided against trading Tavares<\/a> at last year’s trade deadline. As TSN’s Darren Dreger suggested last February, Tavares was already looking to test free agency in the upcoming summer. Having taken a significant pay cut to stay in New York after his entry-level deal, management did little to build a strong team around him.<\/p>\n

Considering the team had won only a single playoff series in his time in Long Island, Tavares’ thinking made perfect sense. To a team who he’d already made sacrifices for without anything in return, he owed nothing. With the current captain, Anders Lee<\/a><\/strong> set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, management has yet to secure a deal. For the sake of the Islanders faithful, hopefully the front office can get this one right.<\/p>\n

Negative Attention Overshadowing Teams Success<\/h2>\n

After the departure of John Tavares, expectations on Long Island were low coming into the 2018\/19 season. Thanks to some tremendous goaltending and solid defensive play, the team currently sits atop the Metropolitan division.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/twitter.com\/MikeKellyNHL\/status\/1097844567213256704<\/p>\n

As the NHL Network’s Mike Kelly notes, analytics have the Islanders as the top defensive team league wide. Bringing in head coach Barry Trotz as well as losing their go-to guy has lead to a drastic change in playing style. As the Toronto Sun’s Michael Traikos claims, losing Tavares has forced the Isles to become “more of a team”<\/a>. Goaltenders Robin Lehner<\/a><\/strong> and Thomas Greiss<\/a><\/strong> have split starting honours almost down the middle (34 and 31 starts respectively). Mathew Barzal<\/a><\/strong> currently leads the team with a modest 51 points through 61 games. The current Islanders effectively embody what an all-around team looks like.<\/p>\n

Despite all these positives, the biggest headlines out of New York this season have been negative. Many fans appear to be wrapped up in suggesting Tavares’ departure was an addition by subtraction. Between the comeback story of Robin Lehner<\/a>\u00a0and the repeated success of sophomore forward Mathew Barzal, the fans have no shortage of players to cheer for. Perhaps to garner the positive attention the current team deserves, fans should refrain from living in the past.<\/p>\n

Tavares’ Move To Toronto Done Graciously<\/h2>\n

Perhaps the most controversial part of Tavares’ decision to sign with the Leafs, was the letter he wrote to Isles fans<\/a> shortly after. Tavares took to The Players Tribune to help explain his thought process in moving on. For some Islanders fans, it was this gesture that made his decision unforgivable. Deemed as a “it’s not you, it’s me” breakup letter, many deemed it unnecessary. Conversely, from the outside looking in, it felt like the honest feelings of a man who had made a difficult decision.<\/p>\n

As Tavares shared with TSN’s Mark Masters earlier today, he still has nothing but positive memories of Long Island:<\/p>\n

\n

John Tavares on his #Isles<\/a> legacy:<\/p>\n

"I really embraced being an Islander. I loved it. I never didn't enjoy my time there even when times weren't going well … I did everything I could to\u00a0help the team … I gave it everything I had …"https:\/\/t.co\/TmSVu8hpgy<\/a><\/p>\n

— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) February 26, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n