TAMPA, Fla. — John Tavares can expect to be pushed, prodded and barely given room and time to breathe this weekend. Not on the ice, where the NHL All-Star Game’s 3-on-3 format gives talented players plenty of space. The Islanders captain will face pressure from the international (read that “Canadian”) media about where his hockey future will be.
All-Star weekend, featuring media day on Saturday, the skills competition on Saturday night and the game itself Sunday afternoon at Amalie Arena, probably will be Tavares’ final moment in a big fishbowl before he either decides to re-sign with the team that drafted him in 2009 or moves along.