Detroit Red Wings: Tomas Tatar Gets The Deal He Wanted
The Detroit Red Wings have signed restricted free agent Tomas Tatar to a five-year, $21.2 million contract, but there is still plenty of work to be done
The Detroit Red Wings are preparing for a new era, and Tomas Tatar seems to be a major part of their long-term plans. Tatar is coming off an above-average season, but the Red Wings were not very good. He finished third in team scoring with 46 points, but finished first in goals with 25. Tatar had an impressive 15.1 shooting percentage, and also finished first in game-winning goals. He’s unquestionably a top line caliber wing.
Looking back at his career, Tatar has some amazing highlight reel goals. Few will forget his goal in 2014, when he absolutely embarrassed the Dallas Stars’ defensive group.
With a strong team, Tatar could be the Red Wings’ 30-plus goal scorer and a big-game player. He may not be a franchise changer, but his skills will come in handy as the Red Wings develop their youthful squad.
Will the Detroit Red Wings Find Success in 2017-18?
Tatar still has plenty of offensive potential, but the Red Wings have several holes to address. Their defensive group is heavily reliant on aging players like Niklas Kronwall and Jonathan Ericsson, and Mike Green is far from consistent.
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He is fairly injury prone, and lacks the high-end defensive ability of a top-tier defenseman. Trevor Daley is a great addition in terms of experience, but he is simply not enough. Danny DeKeyser may be the best hope for the Red Wings, but he needs a lot more help against the powerhouse teams in the Eastern Conference.
At forward, the Red Wings need their best to step up. Henrik Zetterberg is a workhorse, but age is certainly catching up. A lot more was expected of Gustav Nyquist, but he has yet to surpass the 60-point mark. Abdelkader is a physical presence for the Red Wings, but his lack of high-end skill makes him a complementary player at best.
The Red Wings’ Youth Movement
At this point, the Detroit Red Wings have to hope for a strong training camp. Young defensemen like Xavier Ouellet, Nick Jensen and Ryan Sproul are the ones to watch. With an impressive training camp and preseason, any of these players could make the jump to a top-four role for the start of the season.
In terms of forwards, all eyes will be on Dylan Larkin and Anthony Mantha. Larkin had a great rookie season, but fell short last year. His minus-28 rating is something to forget, but his 178 shot output could create some great chances on a good team. Mantha, who played his rookie season last year, showed incredible poise and potential in 60 games. He scored 17 goals and 36 points, while maintaining a plus-10 rating and a 12.8 shooting percentage.
Another young player who could make a difference next season is Andreas Athanasiou. He is a great skater with strong offensive potential. He finished last year with 18 goals and 29 points in 64 games, but could see those numbers jump in 2017-18. Athanasiou has shown flashes of the kind of creativity that made Pavel Datsyuk borderline unstoppable.
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The Tatar signing was important, but the Red Wings need plenty to go right to be successful next season. He is their best top-six scorer, and Larkin and Mantha could add to the mix. However, with the unpredictability of young players, coupled with the lack of strong defense, the Red Wings could be in for a long season. At the same time, if everything goes right, the Red Wings could surprise in 2017-18.