New York Islanders: 5 burning questions for 2018-19 season

1. Is Mathew Barzal ready to be the man?

For years, John Tavares was “the man” for the New York Islanders. His jersey was seen everywhere. As their captain, Tavares was counted on nightly to get the job done. Even after his departure in free agency, his series-winning goal against the Florida Panthers in 2016 remains one of the Islanders’ best moments since the 1990s.

Replacing him will be difficult. Luckily, the Islanders have Mathew Barzal. He will replace Tavares as the first-line center. But this is a multi-layered hole. Who steps up to replace Barzal as the second-line center? This puts all the pressure on “the kid who won the Calder.”

Barzal led the Islanders in points last season. He even had more points than Tavares. However, it’s important to remember Barzal had the luxury of his captain drawing a lot of attention. Now the second-year center will be the one drawing all the attention. Teams are going to game plan to stop him just as they did with Tavares. Tavares was able to remain productive despite this. Can Barzal lift the Islanders in a similar way?

Tavares turned guys into productive wings. Just ask Matt Moulson and P.A. Parenteau how difficult life is away from him. It’s up to Barzal to be productive with whoever he plays with. Will he be with Josh Bailey and Anders Lee, who were Tavares’ linemates for a while? Or will Barzal’s line from last season, featuring Jordan Eberle and Anthony Beauvillier, be the top line?

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Regardless of who he’s playing with, he’s going to have to be “the man”. Tavares taught him well. Now the student must replace the teacher.