A month ago, John Tavares was playing with three San Jose Sharks, as he, Joe Thornton, Brent Burns and Marc-Edouard Vlasic all donned red and white for Team Canada at the World Cup.
Thornton is the NHL's second-leading active point scorer (1343 points) and Burns mountain-man beard and point-per-game abilities have garnered a lot of attention over the past year. Vlasic is a guy that flies under the radar for most fans, but Tavares had high praise for the steady Sharks defenseman.
"He does the simple plays probably better than anybody," Tavares said. "He just knows how to move the puck up the ice, he skates very well and he really is very good at putting forwards in a tough position to make a play. He just angles guys off so well, doesn't give guys time and space and has a great stick as well. He always seems to get his stick on puck a lot. He's got a good idea of when he can jump in the play, he picks his spots really well. Just a very heady type of player who moves well."
Like Tavares, Vlasic won an Olympic Gold medal in Sochi and the World Cup in Toronto and is not to be overlooked when scouting the Sharks.