{"id":10499,"date":"2017-06-06T11:53:19","date_gmt":"2017-06-06T15:53:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=10499"},"modified":"2017-06-06T11:53:19","modified_gmt":"2017-06-06T15:53:19","slug":"detroit-red-wings-tomas-tatar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2017\/06\/06\/detroit-red-wings-tomas-tatar\/","title":{"rendered":"Detroit Red Wings Protect or Not to Protect: Tomas Tatar"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to a new summer series on Last Word On Hockey. In preparation for the NHL Expansion Draft on June 21st, LWOH’s Detroit Red Wings Department will be going in depth on every Wing that is eligible to be picked by the newest NHL squad, the Vegas Golden Knights, who will begin play in the fall. The team will likely follow the seven-forward, three-defensemen, and one goalie format of protecting players, and this series will follow suit with that. For a brush-up on the expansion draft rules, click this link<\/a>. Without further adieu, we will\u00a0continue\u00a0this series with\u00a0Tomas Tatar<\/a><\/strong>, a player looking for a new contract after a red hot finish to last season.<\/p>\n

Tomas Tatar<\/h2>\n

Left Wing,\u00a0Shoots Left<\/strong>
\n5’10”, 185 lbs<\/strong>
\nAge: 27 (This December 1st)<\/strong>
\nCap hit:\u00a0Restricted Free Agent, Coming Off 3-year, $8.25 million deal ($2.75 AAV)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Reasons for Protection<\/h3>\n

Tatar will be looking for a big pay raise, and for good reason. He lead Detroit in goals with 25 and had his third straight 20+ goal, 45+ point season. His 11 goals from March 1st on tied Brad Marchand<\/a><\/strong> and five others for fourth-most in the league in that span as he paced the Wings\u00a0with a 52.42% Corsi-for percentage during the run. For the season up front his 50.70 Corsi-for per 60 minutes doesn’t seem that special, but it was made up for by his goal scoring and play on the other side of the puck.\u00a0On one of the more porous defenses in the league, the Ilava native’s 49.39 Corsi-against per 60 ranked just below Anthony Mantha<\/a><\/strong> in terms of skaters who had played at least 700 minutes.<\/p>\n

His 2.57 goals against per 60 may seem like a red flag, but he wasn’t helped by a .906 save percentage while he was on the ice. He too may not be a leader who will take the reigns of the team from Henrik Zetterberg<\/a><\/strong>.\u00a0He’s another core compliment that will be essential when the team gets some elite pieces from the draft in the coming years. Plus, if the Wings elect to go through the trade route, teams will be lining up with enticing offers for Tatar when he gets signed, as he’s shown the ability to finish on a team that lacks any substance of superstar depth up front.<\/p>\n

Reasons for Exposing<\/h3>\n

There really is no reason to expose Tatar. It would make no sense to do so and in turn lose such a valuable asset for nothing. Ken Holland<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0will also likely move\u00a0contracts in order to free up enough cap space to re-sign him this summer. This may come by way of leaving goaltender\u00a0Jimmy Howard<\/a><\/strong> exposed or finding a taker for his contract amongst other possible methods. Plus, he still needs to sign a deal.<\/p>\n

Verdict<\/h3>\n

Protect\u00a0Him.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tatar is the only Red Wing to score 20+ goals in each of the past three seasons, including being only 20-goal scorer on the team this past season. That alone says something about his finishing ability and his importance to the squad. If it came down to trading either Gustav Nyquist<\/a><\/strong> or Tatar outside of Nyquist’s no-trade window, it would have to be Tatar from a goal scoring standpoint in addition to his results at even strength. Of his 20-goal seasons, two have seen him score at least 20 at even strength. The other season saw him net 14 at 5-on-5. To even consider this, however, he must be protected. Tatar\u00a0will join Nyquist on the protected list among the seven forwards. He will also be rewarded handsomely with a nice deal.<\/p>\n

Check back tomorrow as Nick Jensen<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and his surprising rise get the evaluation treatment.<\/p>\n

Each link is a gateway to analysis of each player.<\/p>\n

Updated Protection List<\/strong>
\nForwards:
\nHenrik Zetterberg<\/a><\/strong> (May 25th)
\nFrans Nielsen<\/a><\/strong> (June 1st)
\nGustav Nyquist<\/a><\/strong> (June 3rd)<\/p>\n

Defensemen:
\nMike Green<\/a><\/strong> (May 26th)
\nXavier Ouellet<\/a><\/strong> (June 5th)<\/p>\n

Exposed:<\/strong>
\nJustin Abdelkader<\/a><\/strong> (May 27th)
\nNiklas Kronwall<\/a><\/strong> (May 29th)
\nDarren Helm<\/a><\/strong> (May 30th)
\nDanny DeKeyser<\/a><\/strong> (May 31st)
\nJonathan Ericsson<\/a><\/strong> (June 2nd)<\/p>\n

Advanced stats courtesy of Puckalytics.<\/p>\n

Main Photo:<\/p>\n

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Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n