John Tavares is the Real Deal

There will be a lot of disappointed spectators in Terrace B.C. on Monday night as New York Islanders highly touted rookie and first overall pick John Tavares won’t be lacing up the skates for the Islanders first exhibition game. This talented teenager who just completed a dominating junior career that saw him score 215 goals has been trying since Friday to shake the flu. “John was in bed on Friday sick, and we just thought we probably wouldn’t want to make his first training camp any harder than it has to be,” Islanders coach Scott Gordon said. “He did practice (on Sunday) which is good, and he’s obviously feeling better.” In the early stages of training camp Gordon believes that he has made lots of developmental strides since July camp and believes that Tavares will benefit greatly by rooming with established veteran forward Doug Weight. “To me, he looks stronger than he did in rookie camp,” Gordon said. “I think he just felt more comfortable. The ice was a little slow (because) the building was a little warm, but the effort was there. Tavares who will be 19 later on this week has made a big impression on his teammates not just for the way he carries himself but also for the elite skills he has shown in drills and practices. “He’s a pretty talented kid,” Islanders forward Jeff Tambellini said. “We got to skate with him last week. His stuff from the blue line in is pretty impressive. We expect big things out of him, and I’m sure he’ll deliver.” It’s just to bad that the flu will keep this speedy forward from playing that first exhibition game.