Exactly. Maybe he would see some large crowds in Switzerland. Especially with their natives Streit and Josi.
His skills might shine through on the bigger ice and he is sure to get more time to do things on the ice in that league as opposed to the NHL.
JT does tend to shine in International play, look at his WJC and WC performances. He's shown that he's very comfortable on the big ice. I'd expect him to be a dominant player in that league.
JT does tend to shine in International play, look at his WJC and WC performances. He's shown that he's very comfortable on the big ice. I'd expect him to be a dominant player in that league.
He could make a few magical plays like in the 09 WJC.
JT does tend to shine in International play, look at his WJC and WC performances. He's shown that he's very comfortable on the big ice. I'd expect him to be a dominant player in that league.
How do you say "marginally talented" in Switzerland?!
He could make a few magical plays like in the 09 WJC.
Haha, yeah. He was a MAN in that game against the U.S., that game was so hyped up. Eberle came up huge against Russia, but JT was smart enough to just get it somewhere near the net to make that a possibility. He was the franchise that tourney. That was on the small ice though.
If you look at all his WC's, he's consistently been excellent on the big ice. Giving him that much extra time and space, he's going to be lethal and he's proven it every time. For SC Bern, you've gotta think he's going to be getting loads and loads of ice time so he might put up some pretty stupid numbers. I am not familiar with the Swiss League (if anyone knows, your thoughts would be appreciated), but he'll at least be a PPG for them and that could very well be a conservative estimate. Having Streit and Josi (who I like) triggering the transition game as well as the PP, they should all be putting up numbers.
I'm curious to know what kind of wingers he'll play with. It would be interesting to not see Moulson on his left for a decent period of time. I think JT can play with anyone and adjust his game because of his insane hockey sense, but I'd love to see him sandwiched between two big, physical wingers who can do the dirty work so he's free to roam. I think we've all seen enough of him being the grinder on his line and it opens him up for undue punishment.
Haha, yeah. He was a MAN in that game against the U.S., that game was so hyped up. Eberle came up huge against Russia, but JT was smart enough to just get it somewhere near the net to make that a possibility. He was the franchise that tourney. That was on the small ice though.
If you look at all his WC's, he's consistently been excellent on the big ice. Giving him that much extra time and space, he's going to be lethal and he's proven it every time. For SC Bern, you've gotta think he's going to be getting loads and loads of ice time so he might put up some pretty stupid numbers. I am not familiar with the Swiss League (if anyone knows, your thoughts would be appreciated), but he'll at least be a PPG for them and that could very well be a conservative estimate. Having Streit and Josi (who I like) triggering the transition game as well as the PP, they should all be putting up numbers.
I'm curious to know what kind of wingers he'll play with. It would be interesting to not see Moulson on his left for a decent period of time. I think JT can play with anyone and adjust his game because of his insane hockey sense, but I'd love to see him sandwiched between two big, physical wingers who can do the dirty work so he's free to roam. I think we've all seen enough of him being the grinder on his line and it opens him up for undue punishment.
It was a heady play on his part even though Eberle scored. But Pierre...well ya know. In all seriousness, he can do some amazing things over there. It'd be cool to see how his skating is on the larger ice. Hopefully he shows he can pick some corners with his shot. If he can start sniping shots, the sky is the limit.
It was a heady play on his part even though Eberle scored. But Pierre...well ya know. In all seriousness, he can do some amazing things over there. It'd be cool to see how his skating is on the larger ice. Hopefully he shows he can pick some corners with his shot. If he can start sniping shots, the sky is the limit.
Agreed, his shot has been his biggest focus other than his skating. While I don't think he'll ever develop a lethal shot that can just cold beat a goalie ala Kovalchuk/Ovechkin/Stamkos, I think it should be much improved in power and release. His game doesn't rely on it, never has if you look through all the highlights throughout the years. The kid scores a lot of his goals within 10 feet of the net. An enhanced shot will just make him more deadly in that area. Although it could extend his range to 15 feet which would result in a lot more goals.
JT should be good for 300 shots in a season. A little bump in his shooting percentage (it's declined ever year) and we're looking at 40+. If he Captain America's his shot like he did his skating, then we could be seeing 50+.
I think it would be funny if Johnny morphs into more of a goal scorer than playmaker and troll the hell out of us.
Agreed, his shot has been his biggest focus other than his skating. While I don't think he'll ever develop a lethal shot that can just cold beat a goalie ala Kovalchuk/Ovechkin/Stamkos, I think it should be much improved in power and release. His game doesn't rely on it, never has if you look through all the highlights throughout the years. The kid scores a lot of his goals within 10 feet of the net. An enhanced shot will just make him more deadly in that area. Although it could extend his range to 15 feet which would result in a lot more goals.
JT should be good for 300 shots in a season. A little bump in his shooting percentage (it's declined ever year) and we're looking at 40+. If he Captain America's his shot like he did his skating, then we could be seeing 50+.
I think it would be funny if Johnny morphs into more of a goal scorer than playmaker and troll the hell out of us.
Super-acurate observation. In fact, dare I say that while I think JT may not have the immediately dizzying ceiling that someone like Crosby has, I think he can get there in steps?
Look at the difference in his skating after just one off-season working on it - it was a huge step forward. We can gain perspectives about how driven JT is by his actions so much more than words, and his words absolutely back up his actions....but do we really have a clue about his ceiling? I hope I don't just come off as some fanboy - I've been an Islander fan since 1993; I',m not just getting hyped about anyone here - not Brad Isbister, now Mark Lawrence, not Weinhandl or Stink....Stonkus; this is just assessing opinions about someone who could be considered a generational talent if he'd not come so soon after Malkin, Crosby, Stamkos and Ovechkin, and if people hadn't placed Tavares underneath the sort of microscope Crosby made it through......after Crosby's skill met it evenly.
All in all, I think a stronger, faster, harder-shooting Tavares can at least come close to the current elites in the league. Tavares may not surpass Crosby, but I think he can sure as hell show a knack for keeping up with that kind of production/will/ability to turn crap into gold, and foster a ton of league conjecture regarding what 'is' elite.
I look forward to seeing him tear it up in Switzerland. If the lockout lasts until November, it'll only be a train ride from Berlin to see some of that action.
How do you say "marginally talented" in Switzerland?!
Perhaps: geringfügig talentiert ?
Great opportunity for jt. He gets to live in the old continent for a bit, and to adjust to a new league (perhaps to make up for never having played in the ahl).
Bunch of portugese in switzerland too. He'll be having some bacalhau and fejoada
Super-acurate observation. In fact, dare I say that while I think JT may not have the immediately dizzying ceiling that someone like Crosby has, I think he can get there in steps?
Look at the difference in his skating after just one off-season working on it - it was a huge step forward. We can gain perspectives about how driven JT is by his actions so much more than words, and his words absolutely back up his actions....but do we really have a clue about his ceiling? I hope I don't just come off as some fanboy - I've been an Islander fan since 1993; I',m not just getting hyped about anyone here - not Brad Isbister, now Mark Lawrence, not Weinhandl or Stink....Stonkus; this is just assessing opinions about someone who could be considered a generational talent if he'd not come so soon after Malkin, Crosby, Stamkos and Ovechkin, and if people hadn't placed Tavares underneath the sort of microscope Crosby made it through......after Crosby's skill met it evenly.
All in all, I think a stronger, faster, harder-shooting Tavares can at least come close to the current elites in the league. Tavares may not surpass Crosby, but I think he can sure as hell show a knack for keeping up with that kind of production/will/ability to turn crap into gold, and foster a ton of league conjecture regarding what 'is' elite.
I look forward to seeing him tear it up in Switzerland. If the lockout lasts until November, it'll only be a train ride from Berlin to see some of that action.
Great post....
I dont think its wrong to think that in his prime he will put together a few consecetive years at around 40-50-90..
He may never hit 60 goals or even 50 but his all around play and playmaking is what makes him so special....
I get the feeling that If Tavares ONLY concentrated on scoring goals he would be just that, instead he wants to be in the BEST position to make the Best Play and thats what I love about him..
Tavares' improvement from his rookie year to year three was much higher than Sid's, who came into the league as a star. No telling how much JT has left to climb, but with that head, desire, sky's the limit IMO.
Super-acurate observation. In fact, dare I say that while I think JT may not have the immediately dizzying ceiling that someone like Crosby has, I think he can get there in steps?
Look at the difference in his skating after just one off-season working on it - it was a huge step forward. We can gain perspectives about how driven JT is by his actions so much more than words, and his words absolutely back up his actions....but do we really have a clue about his ceiling? I hope I don't just come off as some fanboy - I've been an Islander fan since 1993; I',m not just getting hyped about anyone here - not Brad Isbister, now Mark Lawrence, not Weinhandl or Stink....Stonkus; this is just assessing opinions about someone who could be considered a generational talent if he'd not come so soon after Malkin, Crosby, Stamkos and Ovechkin, and if people hadn't placed Tavares underneath the sort of microscope Crosby made it through......after Crosby's skill met it evenly.
All in all, I think a stronger, faster, harder-shooting Tavares can at least come close to the current elites in the league. Tavares may not surpass Crosby, but I think he can sure as hell show a knack for keeping up with that kind of production/will/ability to turn crap into gold, and foster a ton of league conjecture regarding what 'is' elite.
I look forward to seeing him tear it up in Switzerland. If the lockout lasts until November, it'll only be a train ride from Berlin to see some of that action.
You know, I find myself consistently jiving with your thoughts Caustic. Very good post.
You look at JT's progression, he's amazingly consistent statistically. If there was a complete season, I would think that he'd be good for around 95 points if he continues his 'step like' ascent. He increased his SOG's by around 40 every year. It's a really interesting trend when taking a glance at his stat line from season to season. He still has many years to continue his development, so the sky really is the limit for him. I think he tops out as a consistent 40+ goal scorer/year. He may have some years of 50, but not consistently.
This was posted a little while ago and is a great read on Tavares' skating and shot. He's been working on his skating for years now, not just one offseason.
Let me just add one more thing about JT that really impresses me. We all know he is willing to do the work to get better, but he goes about it so intelligently. In that article about his shot, he talks about working on those rotational muscles involved in the mechanics of the shot. HE was the one who requested that machine to Clark that works on the midsection. I guess his high level of hockey sense is not just limited to on the ice. This kid just gets it.
If there is no season, I hope we get lucky and get MacKinnon and then we'll see how great JT could be. He needs a weapon like Nathan to get 100+ points. Sounds kind of like the whole 'Yashin needs an elite winger' all over again (Yashin couldn't generate chances on his own like Hans can), but it's the only way JT can hit his ultimate ceiling IMO. I don't know if he'll ever get to Crosby's level, but I know now that I'm never going to doubt him anymore. He's already surpassed my expectations so far, I honestly didn't think he would be this good when we drafted him. I guess he's more the tortoise than the hare, but we all know how that ended up.
Tavares' improvement from his rookie year to year three was much higher than Sid's, who came into the league as a star. No telling how much JT has left to climb, but with that head, desire, sky's the limit IMO.
To be fair, when Sid came into the league he really didn't have any weaknesses. JT clearly needed to work on his skating, strength & shooting. JT has progressed wonderfully, but if it appears as though he made more strides than Crosby did, it's only because Crosbys game was so much more complete.
Tavares' improvement from his rookie year to year three was much higher than Sid's
SID..05-06 81 games...39 goals....63 assists....102 points. and a -1
06-07 79 games...36 goals...84 assists.....120 points and a +10
07-08 53 games...24 goals....48 assists.....72 points and a +18
TAVARES..09-10...82 games...24 goals...30 assists....54 points and a -15
10-11...79 games...29 goals...38 assists....67 points and a -16
11-12...82 games...31 goals...50 assists....81 points and a -6
tavares improvement in his first 3 years ( while impressive ) is nowhere NEAR what sids was.
How do you say "marginally talented" in Switzerland?!
Quote:
Originally Posted by lukasfindl
Perhaps: geringfügig talentiert ?
Great opportunity for jt. He gets to live in the old continent for a bit, and to adjust to a new league (perhaps to make up for never having played in the ahl).
Bunch of portugese in switzerland too. He'll be having some bacalhau and fejoada
Kaum talentiert or wenig talentiert would fit too, as geringfügig is not really a frequently used word in Swiss-german dialects I'd say.
"Der kaum talentierte Hans Tavares" sounds good.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PWJunior
I'm curious to know what kind of wingers he'll play with. It would be interesting to not see Moulson on his left for a decent period of time. I think JT can play with anyone and adjust his game because of his insane hockey sense, but I'd love to see him sandwiched between two big, physical wingers who can do the dirty work so he's free to roam. I think we've all seen enough of him being the grinder on his line and it opens him up for undue punishment.
I'm no Bern expert, but they are one of the better teams in Switzerland and have several players on the national team too, so there is some quality. They have some physical guys like Deruns, Scherwey or Berger who play on the wing, and Gardner is a huge body at center. But we'll see, he also might get some time with Rüthemann or Plüss who are a bit small but hard working and fast.
All in all I LOVE it that Tavares comes to Switzerland, and I'm not even a SC Bern fan. There are some very good players right now in the NLA with Thornton, Nash, Spezza, Couture, Seguin and others, but I would not be surprised if Tavares was the most impressive of them at the end of the lockout. JT is just a phenomenal player, and with Streit feeding him as usual and Josi - who was a force in his first game - PPG numbers should be expected from JT.
SID..05-06 81 games...39 goals....63 assists....102 points. and a -1
06-07 79 games...36 goals...84 assists.....120 points and a +10
07-08 53 games...24 goals....48 assists.....72 points and a +18
TAVARES..09-10...82 games...24 goals...30 assists....54 points and a -15
10-11...79 games...29 goals...38 assists....67 points and a -16
11-12...82 games...31 goals...50 assists....81 points and a -6
tavares improvement in his first 3 years ( while impressive ) is nowhere NEAR what sids was.
Not talking statistically.
Sid came into the league at 18 and he was a star player immediately. He had man-strength, great speed, vision and he was productive.
Tavares was not. He was given the #1C role on a team that desperately needed to have one. He wasn't a great player at 18, there were times when he was a terrible player, despite his points. He got ice time, PP time, of course he got points.
Last year, Tavares emerged as an elite player in the game. He was a very strong skater, incredibly strong on the puck, and he started making plays that few NHLers can do.
That improvement, from his rookie year, was astounding.
Not sure how much JT has left to climb, but wouldn't bet against him continuing.
.....
In fairness, just because JT was not great at 18 and 19, and had more to climb, doesn't necessarily mean he has a higher upside than someone like Sid. Looking at improvement alone, punishes players for being very good at 18 (Matt Duchene, Ryan O'Reilly, Sean Couturier) - and not all players have the same upside.
Sid is pretty close to a perfect hockey player. He may improve a bit as he matures, if he stays healthy,but I think he's pretty close to his max upside already.
I don't think Tavares is anywhere close.
I also think Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins have tremendousl upside as we'll,but in different ways. RNH has elite vision and hockey sense whereas Hall needs to adjust his own physical tools to the NHL game and learn to be consistently productive and not reckless out there. I see RNH has having a higher upside as a leader on the ice, statistically as well.
