The 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs are underway, and there isn’t much for the New York Islanders to be happy about. Of course, they are still in the playoff race, but they are down 2-0 in their best-of-seven series against the Carolina Hurricanes, and optimism is running short. Now seems to be a good time to look at some former Islanders who had regular-season success and are chasing the Stanley Cup.
John Tavares
John Tavares, the player who left the Islanders as a free agent to play for his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs, is again in the playoffs. He has had little playoff success in Toronto, in addition to his point totals declining. He has hit the 30-goal mark just once since the 2018-19 season concluded, and his overall offensive talent is on the decline.
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Tavares has never made it past the second round of the playoffs, and at 33, time is running out. While it is not now or never, he will be entering the final year of his contract next season, and the cap-tight Maple Leafs might not be able to afford to extend him.
Tavares scored a crucial power-play goal to tie the game at two in Game 2 of their first-round series against the Boston Bruins but has been invisible elsewhere. He is a minus-1 in the series, and his 11-million cap hit is a big reason why the Maple Leafs could not build a better core around him to solidify their roster. While having a player like Tavares would be nice for the Islanders, his cap hit would not, so his departure eight seasons ago is not looking too bad right now.
Anthony Beauvillier
Anthony Beauvillier embodied what it meant to wear blue and orange. He may not have played his best in New York, but he loved playing on Long Island. When he was traded for Bo Horvat at the 2023 Trade Deadline, he joined the Vancouver Canucks. This season, he was sent to the Chicago Blackhawks and then to the Nashville Predators. Now on his fourth team in just 95 games, he seems to be getting comfortable.
Beauvillier struggled in the regular season in Vancouver, Chicago, and Nashville, scoring five combined goals. However, he scored Game 2’s opening goal against the Canucks just over one minute into the game, a key goal that set the tone for the rest of the night. Vancouver did not find the net until just under five minutes left in the second period, with their lone goal coming from Nikita Zadorov.
Devon Toews
Perhaps the hardest player to see in another jersey is defenseman Devon Toews. In October 2020, following a deep playoff run to the semifinals, the Islanders decided to keep Nick Leddy and trade Toews for cap reasons to the Colorado Avalanche for two second-round draft picks. While Leddy was traded to the Detroit Red Wings not even a year later, Toews signed a four-year extension in Colorado, had a career season, and has not slowed down since.
Toews won the 2022 Stanley Cup win the Avalanche, playing a crucial role in the defense. Throughout the playoffs, he scored five goals and 15 points while playing nearly 26 minutes a night. His playoff performance led to a seven-year, $7,250,000 contract extension that will keep him in Colorado until 2031. He has just one point in the 2024 playoffs so far, but the team is tied 1-1 in their opening-round series against the Winnipeg Jets. It would be no surprise to see Toews step up his game and propel the Avalanche into the second round.
Some goodbyes are harder than others. Players like Beauvillier are tough to lose for their locker room presence and personality, while players like Toews are missed on the ice. With the playoffs just getting started, Islanders fans should be sure to follow these former Islanders where they will be cheering on some, and rooting against others.