Foreshadowing Future Frustrations

On November 25, 2011, John Tavares slashed Zach Parise.

   Tavares was fined $2,500 for the incident, the most allowed under the collective bargaining agreement. And while this may be viewed as a "one-time" infraction caused by a heated moment of frustration, I think differently. Tavares is disheartened with his organization, teammates and, most importantly, career decisions.

   Since his minor and junior days, John Tavares has been a winner. At just nine years of age, he played for the Mississauga Senators of the Greater Toronto Hockey League. He led this AAA team to a GTHL minor atom championship in 2000. He did the same with the Toronto Marlboros AAA bantam team in 2004. Tavares then petitioned to play junior hockey in the OHL in 2005. He had to petition because, at the time, it was forbidden for a team to draft any individual below the age of 15. The league established an "exceptional player" clause which allowed the 14-year old to be drafted. In the OHL, which is governed by the CHL, Tavares won the Emms Family Award, CHL Player of the Year and set a new record for goals with 214. Oh yeah, he also broke Wayne Gretzky's OHL record for most goals by a 16-year old.

   John Tavares has even had international success with Team Canada, playing in the World U17 Hockey Challenge, the IIHF World U18 Championships, the IIHF U20 World Junior Championships and the IIHF World Championships. He was a top forward and an MVP for his country.

   The frustration Tavares is encountering in the NHL: the New York Islanders aren't winning and haven't been for quite a while. For the past four seasons, the Islanders have been last in their division. In five of the last six years, they have failed to make the playoffs. Making matters worse, the club hasn't been past the first round of the playoffs since 1993. The Islanders drafted Tavares in 2009 with the promise of success for a franchise that was struggling, mightily. 

  In his first two seasons in the NHL, Tavares was impressive - accumulating a total of 121 points and only missing three games. He did all of this with little to no help on offense. And although the team hadn't improved dramatically, Tavares signed a contract with the Islanders in September of 2011. The contract will keep him with the club through 2018. 

   I admire Tavares's loyalty very much, but something tells me he won't be in Long Island for this entire contract. He's a competitor and wants to win. And with no indications of improvement or progress, future frustrations are imminent for this talented forward.