Montreal Canadiens: The ins and outs of Tomas Tatar

You Get What You Give

Tatar was a consistent producer for the Red Wings after that big season. The following year had his linemates change to Sheahan and Gustav Nyquist who he played with at times the season before. His shot totals dropped in the years afterwards (165 and 166 respectively), but he still managed to put up 21 and 25 goals.

The Vegas Golden Knights took a flyer on him ahead of the deadline looking to add more depth for the playoffs. Tatar’s minutes dropped when with his new team, and his level of play didn’t necessarily match what Gerrard Gallant had implemented throughout his lineup. That had the 27-year-old become a healthy scratch for games in the playoffs.

That’s not Tatar’s fault though. He’s a player that uses his speed to his advantage. That doesn’t really entail too much of a grinding game. However, he did get minutes with William Karlsson and Jon Marchessault who were offensive dynamos for the Golden Knights. It was a different story in the playoffs as Tatar had Ryan Carpenter and Cody Eakin on his line. With all due respect to them, neither have the offensive mindset to bring out the best in Tatar. And conversely, Tatar has established himself as being a complementary scoring piece on a line, not so much a player who can do it all on his own.

He shouldn’t be relied on to do that on the Montreal Canadiens. And if put in the right situation, Tatar could easily succeed on the roster.