John Tavares joined the Toronto Maple Leafs when he signed a seven year contract on July 1st, 2018. Is it possible though, that he could be bad in a Leafs uniform?
Now, do not get me wrong, I am as much as the next person hoping that John Tavares can help lead the Toronto Maple Leafs to a Stanley Cup. But what if it is too good to be true?
For example, look at Phil Kessel with the Pittsburgh Penguins. They brought him in to play with Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin and in his first season he could not find chemistry with either of them. Many predicted that Kessel would be able to score 40, maybe even 50 goals when playing with them, yet, he had 26 goals and 59 points.
That is a good season for a normal player, but not for somebody with Kessel’s skill set. 59 points in 82 games was the lowest PPG average he had since his rookie season and that was with playing with two of the greatest centres in the league. So what got him going again? Nick Bonino.
Kessel needed a complimentary player, somebody that was there with the sole mission of getting him the puck to shoot it. Not dangling through the opposition and doing it all on their own. Somebody who relied on Kessel, not expecting him to rely on them. What if that is going to happen to Tavares while playing with Mitch Marner?
What If?
What if they do not have chemistry? Do you put Tavares with Kasperi Kapanen? William Nylander? Maybe even Connor Brown? Everybody is so sure that Tavares and Marner will be a superstar duo but that is what we though Kessel would be with Crosby or Tavares. Kessel needed a 3rd line centre to play with him, what if Tavares needs that too?
Look at his success while playing with those kinds of players. Matt Moulson, P.A. Parenteau, etc. His best season came when he was playing with Kyle Okposo and over the last two seasons, Okposo is showing that he relied heavily on Tavares for his point totals.
Could it be that Tavares just needs players to get him the puck? Sure, Marner is a magician on the ice, but he also does most of the work. Tavares is used to being that guy on his line and that could create some conflict while they are playing.
Maybe Johnny T would be better suited playing with Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson. Players who will go into the corners, get the puck and pass it straight to him. Their sole mission being to get him the puck. Kessel needed it in Pittsburgh, maybe Tavares will need it in Toronto.
Conclusion
Do I think Tavares will be able to play well with Marner? Yes, but I also thought the same for Kessel with Crosby and Malkin. It is a possibility that there is no chemistry between the two.
While I am hoping that they will make an elite duo, it could be better if they are separated. Having Matthews, Tavares and Marner on three different lines would be a nightmare for any team.
Even if JT and Marner do not work out, I do not think the Toronto Maple Leafs will have any problems. You could move Marner back to Nazem Kadri’s line and put Kapanen and Johnsson with Tavares. Either way, the Leafs should be fine.