The Colorado Avalanche have signed veteran forward Tomas Tatar to a one-year contract worth $1.5 million. Tatar will bring some depth to the team for the Avalanche, something that has been a concern for this offseason. Last season, playing with the New Jersey Devils, Tatar attained 48 points.
Tomas Tatar, signed 1x$1.5M by COL, is a skilled veteran shoot-first winger who pushes play in the right direction. He has a pretty well-rounded skillset which unfortunately doesn't seem to translate when the games get more tight-checking in the playoffs. #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/HWfpw0b114
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) September 12, 2023
The third line, which currently includes Tatar, Ross Colton and Miles Wood, will prioritize shooting opportunities. The chemistry will certainly be there with the former teammate in Wood, and it will not be hard to get it with Colton. Prior to making the announcement, the team was already skating with the Slovakian at Family Sports Center this morning.
It is now official, Tatar and the Avalanche have agreed to a one-year contract. #Avs #GoAvsGo @TheRinkColorado https://t.co/Ppsq0dWkqs
— Brennan Vogt (@brennan_vogt) September 12, 2023
Tatar has quite a history. The 32-year-old has spent the last 13 years in the NHL with several teams. He most recently spent time with the Devils, and before that, the Montreal Canadiens. He typically can bring a little spark to the offense, scoring between 30–50 points per year. Just last season, he achieved the 20-goal mark for the seventh time in his career. Early in his career, he won the Calder Cup with the Grand Rapids Griffins in 2013.
(Courtesy of CapFriendly)
The enormous concern with the signing of the veteran now will be cap space. The Avalanche still have one gap to fill on the fourth line. Joel Kiviranta or Fredrik Olofsson will presumably fill this spot. Either way, with just over half of a million left, they more than likely will go over their cap limit. This is not keeping in mind that Nikolai Kovalenko will join the team later in the season. Is there something else that we need to worry about with this signing? Is there another player who could start the year injured? Either way, the salary cap situation will be tight this season, especially if the Avalanche have a year full of injuries like they did last year.