The New York Islanders won’t be making an appearance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second year in a row, but team captain John Tavares could still see game action in May.
Sean Burke and Martin Brodeur were recently named co-GMs of Team Canada for the upcoming 2018 IIHF World Championship and, according to Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos, it’s believed Brodeur reached out to Tavares and the star centre is considering representing his country at the annual tournament.
“[Tavares] didn’t shut it down right away, which is kind of remarkable in itself knowing that he is going into unrestricted free agency and he already suffered a significant injury in international hockey in 2014 in the Olympics in Sochi where it cost him the rest of the season,” Kypreos said during the Headlines segment Saturday on Hockey Night in Canada.
Tavares, who would be the most notable free agent in hockey if he hits the open market in July, suffered a torn MCL and meniscus during the 2014 Games. He wasn’t able to play in Canada’s final two games of that tournament and it cost him the remainder of his NHL season—he was third in league scoring with 66 points in 59 games at the time.
The 27-year-old has represented Canada on multiple occasions throughout his hockey career, winning two gold medals at the world juniors in 2008 and 2009, plus another gold at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. Tavares has represented Canada at the IIHF World Championship thrice (in 2010, 2011 and 2012) registering 16 goals and nine assists for 25 points in 22 total games.
This year’s tournament takes place in Copenhagen and Herning, Denmark and lasts from May 4 to May 20.
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