As expected, Taveras is number one

Posted on by
/*Earlier:  Taveras will be expected to do much more than the other players selected in the first round. With the franchise sagging Taveras will not only be charged to have a successful NHL career, but much like Sidney Crosby in Pittsburgh, Taveras will be counted on to save the franchise from leaving Long Island.  “He is probably better than any other player in the Draft from the top of the circle down at being a threat to score,” said Director of NHL Central Scouting E.J. McGuire. “He’s an offensive player who is reliable in his defensive zone and getting better at that, but yet not asked to do that very frequently. He is pure offense and for his first years in the NHL will probably be asked to do just that.”  For the Islanders it was a league-high fourth first overall pick and they have to hope Taveras can be as successful as Hall-of-Fame defenseman Denis Potvin was for them. In addition to scoring the Islanders are going to have to hope Taveras can develop an all-around game.  “When I was a kid, all I wanted to do was score, score, score. I loved to score goals,” said Taveras. “That’s what I saw with me helping the team win. That’s what I knew how to do. I always thought the more goals you score, the better chance you have of winning.”  “As you get older, you mature, you develop more and you understand there’s a lot more to the game of hockey than just producing offensively. That’s obviously still my strength, the thing I’m counted on for the most. But I’ve learned to be more of a complete player, to be good in all three zones, not to let my teammates down, myself down, make sure I’m competitive all over the ice and good on the faceoffs, keeping the puck out of my net as much as I want to put it in the other team’s net.”  PHN Analysis; in reality what else could Snow do with this pick? The only option was to trade down a slot or two if the club wanted Matt Duchene or Victor Hedman. Now the club has to hope the knocks on Taveras’ skating are not fatal. In the end the fans are happy and that is what counts the most for the Islanders this year. As far as hockey-wise, we’ll all know who the better players are between the three in a few years. Contact tom.schettino@prohockeynews.com

Leave a Comment