With his team's playoff hopes fading, New York Islanders head coach Doug Weight is willing to try anything.
That includes planning to deploy franchise center John Tavares as a winger during Sunday's game against the Carolina Hurricanes, putting him on the left side of a unit comprised of Mathew Barzal (center) and Jordan Eberle (right wing).
It's not permanent, Weight qualified, but rather an attempt to put his best offensive players on the ice at the same time.
"It doesn’t mean he’s going to play wing and it doesn’t mean he’s not a centerman," Weight said, per Andrew Gross of Newsday. "It’s an experiment. Moving forward it gives them (Tavares and Barzal) some experience together. I’m excited to see it."
Tavares has played center since being drafted by the Islanders and will be entering the offseason set to enter unrestricted free agency, having likely missed the playoffs once again.
For his part, however, Tavares appears open to the experiment.
"It’s not my natural position but I’ve played it before and I just try to have a lot of versatility with my game to begin with," Tavares said. "Mentally, I’ll prepare myself a little bit on what to expect and there are certain things that come with playing (wing)."
Tavares added, "Your career only lasts so long. You want to enjoy every second of it, every challenge no matter how tough it’s going."
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