today 00:00
|
For two years, Tomáš Tatar pulled the Montreal offensive very well. He scored 47 goals in 148 matches and scored 119 points. There was praise for the game of the Slovak wingman. Together with Brandon Gallagher and Phillip Danault, they created the best formation in the famous club. Fans of Canadiens liked the Slovak wing, but the team did not do very well.
The Canadiens play well, but the best Slovak striker just sits in the stands
Last year, however, he signaled a turnaround when he eliminated the favored Pittsburgh in the preliminary round in the “bubble”, then dropped out with Philadelphia. Tatar had two goals in ten duels. His position has begun to change gradually this season. He did not play the basic part, especially bad. He was still the fourth most productive player in the team with thirty points in 50 matches. He also experienced the grandstand under coach Claud Julien. New coach Dominique Ducharme returned to the team. The Dubnica native was on the ice in five duels against Toronto. He managed to start the great turn of Montreal from 1: 3 to matches to 4: 3.
However, since May 28, he has only been sitting in the stands. The great performance of the Habs in the series against Winnipeg, which was dominated by his teammates 4: 0 in matches, he only watched in civil. We found out from Montreal journalists what the position of the leader of the Slovak national team towards the NHL semifinals looks like, in which the Canadiens will challenge another favorite in the form of the Vegas Golden Knights.
IT WILL HELP IT ONLY INJURIES OR BAD PERFORMANCES OF THE TEAM
“I think Tatar’s situation is quite clear. He didn’t have a good playoffs last season and so it is now. He hadn’t experienced a good elimination in Vegas before, which also put him in the stands several times during the final trip. ” wrote to us Arpon Basu, who has been writing about the Canadiens for a long time and is currently the editor-in-chief of the Montreal branch of The Athletic.
Stu Cowan, a respected columnist for the Montreal Gazette, is not optimistic either. “Tomáš Tatar is one of my favorites as a person and a hockey player, but I’m afraid he played his last match in the Canadiens jersey against Toronto,” a Canadian journalist wrote to us.
Basu thinks that the chance for the winger can only come from injuries in the lineup. “Tomas is still a very good player, but he can only get back into the match nomination if someone gets hurt or has to have a big change in the team’s performance, as Montreal has been playing well since the sixth match of the series against Toronto,” added the journalist.
“The past has shown that his style of play does not work in the playoffs. Probably it has to do with more physical play and more thorough training of opponents. It was obvious, even though he didn’t play most of the time for Vegas in his progress to the finals a few years ago. “ said Cowan.
COMPLICATIONS IN THE FIGHT FOR THE NEW TREATY
The tribune is not good for Tatar from the position of negotiating a new contract. The 30-year-old striker’s contract expires after the current season. They make no secret of the fact that he would like to sign at least one higher contract for a few years. “Tartar days in Montreal are probably numbered. In the summer, he will be able to look for another challenge. The last time we talked about it, he talked mostly about Montreal times in the past, when it came to contract, “ revealed Arpon Basu.
Cowan also thought about the future of Tatar. “Management might not want to keep him even though he doesn’t play. Nevertheless, its performance almost guarantees you a twenty-goal season. However, the Canadiens have a charged salary cap, where the priority is to extend the contract with Phillip Danault. There will be no money left for Tatar. In addition, they discovered during the season that Jake Evans and Artturi Lehkonen can play in his place with Gallagher and Danault. “ added a respected journalist.
His former teammate Dale Weise, who played for the Canadiens in the past two seasons, also commented on Tatar’s performances for the Habs tonight YouTube channel. “I wouldn’t be involved in Vegas that much, they sacrificed three draft positions because of him and didn’t give him a good chance when he skated only in the fourth formation. Just consider how he then restarted his career in Montreal. For two years he was the most productive player in the team. Tomas is a shooter and when he loses confidence from this side, it is difficult to get him back. Points are expected from him. It is not usual for players like him to be in the stands. It’s not like me that I used to be in the line-up from lower attacks and not sometimes. Maybe when the Canadiens play against Vegas, they’ll get back. He could have extra motivation against the former team, “ said Weise.
