Montreal Canadiens: The Colorado Avalanche is a good fit for Tomas Tatar
By Omar L
The ball is in Kreider’s court on that front. Kreider and the New York Rangers are going through contract negotiations, and there’s a chance he remains a member of the Original Six franchise. If that happens, he’s off the trade bait board, and buying teams lose another production top-six forward to add to the fold. And most importantly, the Avs lose their wishing star.
The Rantanen injury intensifies things further. Colorado announced the star winger would be out week-to-week with an upper-body injury after having a hard collision with the boards. Additionally, Nazem Kadri, Colin Wilson, and Matt Calvert are all still out with injury.
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If there was an opportunity for Bergevin to get a significant offer for Tomas Tatar, it would be now. Colorado still has their first-round pick and a number of key prospects to choose from. Given the market, the Avs giving up a pick that high for Tatar isn’t egregious in the slightest.
Coleman garnered a second-round pick and Nolan Foote, a 2019 first-round pick. And that’s coming off 21 goals and 10 assists. In comparison, Tomas Tatar has 21 goals and 33 assists.
Of those 21 goals, 9 of them are at 5v5 (4 at 4v4), while 24 of his 33 assists are at the same strength. Tatar also has 8 goals on the powerplay and a total of 46 primary points.
Tomas Tatar isn’t being carried on that top line, he’s a producer. He makes plays, can grind and forecheck, and beat the opposition with his skill. The 29-year-old would intensify Colorado’s offence to a higher level and improve their depth once those injuries return.
They could become a team that has waves of offence that continues to press on you until you’re forced to make a mistake, and they make you pay for it. Player and team-wise, there is an undeniable fit for Tomas Tatar on the Avalanche, not to mention the fact that they would have him for another season after this one.
Sure the Avalanche has a lot of cap space that will be used starting this summer, but Tatar’s cap hit isn’t significant enough to leave a deep hole in future negotiations.