Daily Free Talk / Armchair GM Thread

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[u/Minimum_One_2195]

People love calling Tavares washed. I’ve heard it to start the season for probably the past 3 years, and then he picks it up later in the season and ends up with 30 goals and 70+ points. You are not putting those numbers on the 3rd line, and you are not upgrading on those numbers with anybody out there that’s available right now.

He’s 36, so maybe he does take a step back but he’s got 2 points in 3 games and has had chances to put in a couple of goals. I don’t know why Tavares is blamed as THE defensive liability when you have Willy and McKenna on that line turning it over every 2nd possession.

It just baffles me who people will make the scapegoat every season despite Tavares not having 1 bad season since coming to Toronto.

[u/Ok_Elevator4215 → u/Minimum_One_2195]

Your point about him having 2 points in 3 games should tell you exactly why looking at point totals is just not a good way to go about it. Tavares has not been good. You can think he's going to get better, that's fine, but there's just no conceivable way you can watch these games, see him unable to handle a pass or the puck in general, kill every play that touches his stick and say he hasn't been bad to start the year.

And I don't think people are blaming tavares as THE defensive liability. Every issue I see raised with the second line is that all of them suck defensively. That's the whole reason people are upset this line keeps getting played, it obviously doesn't work when they all can't play defence.

Also, just so were clear, although the stat is just really flawed, JT has more giveaways than Nylander and Mckenna. Plus you can watch pretty much every time he receives a pass in transition, he loses possession almost instantly. Tavares is pretty clearly the one contributing most to the changes in possession on the wrong end.