There is no questioning the talent of John Tavares. The Islanders captain has proven himself as one of the elite centers in the NHL.
Then why is it that in his eight years in the league — isn’t that scary? — the Islanders brass, run by general manager Garth Snow since 2006, never has been able to get one — not one — elite-level winger winger to skate alongside their superstar?
“There has always been talk of that,” coach Jack Capuano said before Tuesday night’s Brooklyn showdown with the rival Rangers. “I think when it comes to the personnel and our lineup, that would be more of a question for Garth and management.
“In my conversations with our general manager, if there is a player that can be had, we’re always going to try to make our team better and we would explore that opportunity. At the same time, the way the salary-cap era is now, there is a lot of good players that get tied up in free agency.”
Well, Snow managed to snag one player in particular out of the throes of free agency, signing winger Andrew Ladd to a seven-year, $38.5 million deal this summer. In this harsh salary-cap world — like no other team deals with it, right? — that was Snow’s attempted solution.
Instead, Ladd spent the first 24 games of his Islanders tenure putting up two goals and three assists, all while collecting his $5.5 million annual salary to play what has now become a depth role, starting Tuesday alongside Ryan Strome and Shane Prince.
“I don’t know if it’s disappointing. I think we’ve tried Andrew on a couple different lines,” Capuano said. “Now it’s Strome and Prince to try to get a little more offense to our team. We’ll see how it goes. Not saying that we can’t move the lines around. I think the last two weeks we’ve had some continuity with some lines, and we’ll see how it goes.”
The Islanders put together a nice 3-0-1 streak in the past week that included back-to-back wins over the Penguins and Capitals. It was the beginning of them coming out of the league cellar and getting the results more commensurate with their ability.
But for them to have any chance at making the playoffs and any chance at equaling — forget surpassing — their second-round playoff exit from this past spring, they will need Tavares’ line to carry a load. And they’re going to need to find someone worthy of playing alongside him.
“Part of the game is that it keeps evolving and changes are made, and you have to learn how to adapt and have success with who you’re playing with,” Tavares told The Post Tuesday morning, disappointed with the six goals and 19 points he put up through 24 games.
“I take a lot of pride in that, trying to make my teammates around me better with the way that I play. For me personally, I want to be able to be successful with whoever I play with. I think we have a lot of talent in here, a lot of great guys to play with.”
In a fair world, Tavares should get a financial kickback for the big-money contracts he helped obtain for Matt Moulson, P.A. Parenteau and Brad Boyes, each of whom put up career numbers on his flank before finding greener pastures elsewhere. He has drawn some good hockey out of his consistent right winger this season, old pal Josh Bailey, whose four goals and 15 points are tied for second on the team with Brock Nelson.
But that is a far cry from the top-level talent that compliments most of the league’s elite. It’s not the best situation for Tavares, whose club-friendly deal at $5.5 million per expires at the end of next season and will remain the biggest storyline hanging over franchise until he leaves or signs an extension.
But Tavares has dealt with the same situation in the past, and is doing his best to deal with yet again.
“There is never a full season you play with the same amount of guys,” he said. “You just try to be prepared for whoever you’re playing with.”