It doesn’t seem like so long ago that Tomas Tatar was skating alongside Philip Danault and Brendan Gallagher as part of the Montreal Canadiens’ top line. Yet, that combination was split up during the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs when Tatar was made a healthy scratch after producing just one point in five games.
The following offseason saw a wind of change blow over the Canadiens, after signing a significant extension with Gallagher, GM Marc Bergevin was unable to reach an agreement with Danault who chose to sign with the Los Angeles Kings as a free agent, Jesperi Kotkaniemi was signed to an offer sheet by the Carolina Hurricanes, Shea Weber, Carey Price and Paul Byron were all dealing with serious injuries and Tatar wasn’t offered a new deal.
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Still, he landed on his feet, signing a two-year deal with the New Jersey Devils, after which he signed a one-year pact with the Colorado Avalanche. However, he was traded to the Seattle Kraken in December. At the end of the 2023-24 season, he signed a new one-year pact with the Devils to play what appears to be his last season in the NHL, as he has elected to sign a two-year contract with EV Zug.
If this is it for his NHL career, he can leave with his head held high. In 927 games, he gathered 227 goals and 269 assists for 496 points. Throughout three seasons, he played 198 games with the Canadiens, scoring 149 points for an average of 0.75 points per game, easily the best of his career. It’s a shame to see Tatar go so close to the 1,000-game milestone; one single season would have done it. However, he probably felt like he didn’t have enough left in the tank, after all, he could only muster 17 points in 74 games with the Devils last season.
In addition to his performance alongside Danault and Gallagher, Tatar will always be remembered as the player who gave Habs fans one of the most memorable memes associated with the team: a fan saying his name as if he were calling the game. It’s right up there with the “What?!?” lady from the 2018 draft.
Photo credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
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