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John Tavares will soon make his most important decision as an NHL player: where he will start his career.
The captain of the New York Islanders should be a free-agent free Sunday, and as one of the top 10 or 12 players in the league, he should sign a seven-year deal that could cost between $ 11 and $ 13 million by season.
Several teams will meet Tavares this week to give their free field, including the Boston Bruins. The Bruins have about $ 12 million in salary cap, by CapFriendly, and they may be forced to make some moves to free the captains room if Tavares plans to come to Boston. But these moves should be made if it meant signing a cornerstone franchise player.
Here's why B's are a good fit for Tavares now and on the road.
The Bruins can surround it with loads of high-end scoring talent
The Bruins scored the sixth best goal and earned the fourth best power play last season. Eleven B's players have scored more than 10 goals, and add a player like Tavares – who has never scored less than 24 goals in a season and has scored the fifth league goal since 2010 – would of the Boston attack the best in the league.
Potential wingers of Tavares include Jake DeBrusk, Danton Heinen, David Pastrnak, Ryan Donato and others. It's a lot of exciting young talents who play with speed and a physical advantage. He will also participate in a power play that includes Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, whose last scored 85 points in just 65 games.
Could you imagine a top-six like this:
Marchand-Bergeron-Bjork / Donato
Debrusk-Tavares-Pastrnak
The Bruins are built to win now and in the future
Boston veteran Bergeron, Marchand, David Krejci, goaltender Tuukka Rask and defenseman Zdeno Chara are among the best in the league. They all won a Stanley Cup (Rask as a substitute) and have tons of experience in the playoffs.
The team of young Bruins players is also among the best in the sport. Charlie McAvoy is one of the most talented young defensemen in the game and is already a first-rate player. Torey Krug just scored 59 career points and is only 27 years old. DeBrusk and Heinen both had more than 40 points as rookies in 2017-18 and the first was very good in the playoffs in 2018.
Donato has scored five goals with four assists in his 12 regular season games and his projects are among the top six longtime strikers. Pastrnak is undoubtedly the best young winger in the world. His skill and elite speed allowed him to collect 150 points (69 goals, 81 assists) in 157 games in the last two seasons.
The Bruins have a core of veterans still in top form and are able to lead a team to a playoff race, and this group is supported by a promising collection of young players who have proven their worth in the NHL and who n & # # # Have not yet achieved their goal. potential. And we have not even talked about Boston 's first – round pick in 2017, Urho Vaakanainen, who is writing solid reviews in the September training camp.
The addition of Tavares would probably make the Bruins favorites to win the East Conference next season, and possibly also the Stanley Cup.
Tavares will not need to stop the best player from the opponent
Tavares is a very good defensive forward. He played against stiff competition with the Islanders and is able to keep himself in the defensive zone against the league's top strikers. But he will not be forced to be the No. 1 B striker because this role is skillfully filled by Patrice Bergeron, the league's best defensive forward (sorry, Anze Kopitar). Bergeron and Marchand do most of the work every night against the opponent's top lines (especially for shots on goal), giving Tavares a bit of a break and allowing him to focus a bit more on his side. offensive talent of the elite. Tavares would still play against the best team as a member of the B, but he would not have to be the main player for difficult defensive assignments.
The tradition, the fanbase and the property of the Bruins are strong
Tavares has played in many Islanders home games where attendance was lacking. This will not be the case in Boston, where TD Garden is always sold out and filled with the most passionate fans of the league. The Bruins' rich history, including six Stanley Cup titles, several Hall of Fame inductees, and the Original Six status, could also be of interest to Tavares. And finally, the Bruins property, run by the Jacobs family, gave the front office the resources to succeed, whether it's paying for talent or building a beautiful new facility. training, among other things.
Thumbnail image via Winslow Townson / USA TODAY Sports
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