Imagine my surprise, rolling up to the Captain’s skate for the Colorado Avalanche, and finding Tomas Tatar on the ice with the team.
Well, it didn’t take long for the news of the signing to become official.
The Avalanche have announced that they’ve agreed to terms with Tatar on a one-year deal.
The veteran winger was one of the better free agents remaining on the market, and was rumored to be headed to the Eastern Conference. Instead, the Avalanche have locked him up for the coming season, solidifying the top-nine before training camp starts.
According to Peter Baugh with The Athletic, the cap hit will be $1.5 million.
Tatar is coming off yet another incredibly productive season, this time in New Jersey. He put up 20 goals and 48 points over the course of a full 82 game season. The regular season is not a problem for the 32 year old winger, as he’s been a consistent producer his entire career.
The playoffs, however, are a different story. He has just 7 career playoff goals in 52 playoff games, a steep drop-off from his regular season production. The Avalanche will worry about that when the time comes, as they desperately needed the talent infusion in the top nine.
This move comes exactly one year after the organization signed Evan Rodrigues. Another savvy move by the team to wait out the market and sign someone to a relatively cheap contract.
With Tatar on board, head coach Jared Bednar has options. Jonathan Drouin is a bit of wild card heading into the season, so Tatar is a nice back-up plan. If both happen to work out, the team is in a good spot.
Stay tuned to CHN as more news breaks leading into training camp.
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