Duo must be dynamic for Isles to thrive

Tavares-Eberle kick off new era Friday night in Columbus

October 5, 2017 By John Torenli, Sports Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Jordan Eberle (left) is looking forward to his first season with the Islanders, which kicks off Friday night in Columbus, Ohio, against the Blue Jackets. AP Photo by Adrian Kraus

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Jordan Eberle is in Brooklyn for many reasons, the most important of which is to keep free-agent-to-be Islanders captain John Tavares in orange and blue for years to come.

The 27-year-old forward, who has played alongside Tavares for Team Canada on several occasions, will be on the franchise center’s right wing beginning Friday night in Columbus, Ohio as the Isles kick off this critical campaign against the Blue Jackets.

“I don’t think I’ve been this excited in an offseason in a long time,” admitted Eberle, who put up at least 20 goals in each of his last four seasons with Edmonton before Islanders general manager Garth Snow acquired him back in June for forward Ryan Strome.

“I think change is good. I think it puts you out of your comfort zone a bit and makes you train a bit harder.”

Eberle, who was in Edmonton for seven years overall, was the one player Snow designated as a must-have this summer in his ongoing bid to get Tavares to sign the dotted line on a contract extension to remain with the only NHL franchise he has ever known since being selected first overall by New York in 2009.

Will it be enough?

Only the duo’s ability to put up points and secure wins for a franchise in flux can determine that.

Tavares, Eberle and Anders Lee, the team’s top goal-scorer with 34 a season ago, are embedded as the top line for the foreseeable future.

The veteran trio will have to click on all cylinders for the Isles to take some of the heat off budding young playmakers like Josh Ho-Sang, Mathew Barzal and Anthony Beauvillier.

Thus far, Tavares has had nothing but good things to say about his new line mate from Edmonton, especially after Eberle’s spectacular back-hand flip goal in last week’s exhibition win over the Sabres in Buffalo.

“So far, it’s been really good,” Tavares said of the chemistry between himself and Eberle. “It feels comfortable, you have a good sense of that.”

Tavares, who will likely be in line for an estimated eight-year, $100-million deal this summer, either from the Isles or plenty of other interested teams, has already picked up a pair of gold medals with Eberle at the junior and world championship levels.

He hopes Eberle’s addition to the top line helps boost what he himself considered subpar numbers from a season ago, when he finished with 28 goals and 66 points, his lowest output in both categories since his rookie campaign.

“[I have a] pretty good sense of him from juniors and the time we’ve played together at the World Championships,” Tavares noted.

“I know he’s got great hands, great hockey sense and is quicker than people think too. Deceptive speed, sees the ice really well and obviously around the net has a great touch as well.”

That touch was on display on Eberle’s first goal as an Islander, when he pulled in a feed from Lee through his legs and ripped a backhander over Sabres goalie Robin Lehner at Buffalo’s KeyBank Center last Friday night.

“Lee made a good play to get it over, so I just had to try to find the short side and sometimes backhands can be a little deceiving,” Eberle said.

“The biggest thing in preseason is you want to find your game and obviously scoring and making plays gives you confidence. It’s just nice to find the net and help contribute.”

Tavares has been patient in his approach to re-signing with the Isles, especially in the wake of the franchise’s proposed arena site in Belmont, which will not be decided on for several months.

But that hasn’t affected his approach on the ice, which is without peer, according to Isles head coach Doug Weight.

“He’s a presence,” Weight said of his captain. “That’s what great players are, great people and he has that presence and respect and people want to follow him.”

None more so than Eberle, whose tenure here will doubtlessly be more successful with a two-time Hart Trophy finalist in the middle of his line.

“He’s a tremendous player, he moves the puck well, sees the ice well and he’s an easy guy to play with,” Eberle said of Tavares.

“When you first get traded, it’s a little bit of a shock, but as I was thinking about it, I was just getting more and more excited,” he added. “It’s a great organization, a great team. I know a lot of the guys there and I’m happy to be a part of it.”

Following their opener against the Blue Jackets Friday night, the Islanders will fly home to host Buffalo Saturday night at Barclays Center before taking on St. Louis here in a special Columbus Day 1 p.m. matinee.

Isle Have Another: For the first time since 2010, the Isles won’t have stalwart defenseman Travis Hamonic guarding the blue line Friday night after the veteran was traded to Calgary in June for a trio of draft picks. That puts more pressure on unproven young defensemen like Ryan Pulock, Adam Pelech and Scott Mayfield to back up grizzled vets like Johnny Boychuk and Nick Leddy … The Isles’ 23-man roster includes 22 players who suited up for the team last season, with Eberle being the only new addition on that list.