Gallant doesn’t care how much you make, only if you can play
The highest-paid forward on the Vegas Golden Knights — a player the team gave up a first-, secondand third-round pick for at the trade deadline — was the last one off the ice after Wednesday’s morning skate.
It was a clear sign Tomas Tatar would not be playing in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup final.
Not that Tatar expected to. He had been a healthy scratch in 10 of the previous 16 playoff games, having last played in Game 3 of the Western Conference final against the Winnipeg Jets. For someone who has reached the 20-goal mark in each of the past four seasons, it’s a bit surprising. And yet, there is no frustration, no complaining or even sulking coming from the 27-year-old. Tatar knew what he was getting into when he was traded from the Detroit Red Wings. He knew this team was leading the Pacific Division. He knew the success of the team stemmed from a mantra where contracts and star status take a back seat to team chemistry.
“That’s the strength of this team,” said Tatar, who has one goal in six playoff games with Vegas.
“I knew we had a good team. Guys were doing good before I got here. I came here to help. Any time the coach or the team needs me, I’m ready. All the guys are.”
Some NHL coaches might be pressured to put a newly acquired player in the lineup, especially one the GM paid a hefty price for. But Gerard Gallant isn’t like most coaches. When the Golden Knights signed Vadim Shipachyov out of the KHL to a two-year deal worth US$9 million — the second signing of the franchise — the thinking was he would anchor the top line. Instead, he found himself anchored to the press box after failing to outplay the players Vegas picked up off the scrap heap in the NHL expansion draft.
It set a tone. This was a meritocracy. If you could play, then it did not matter how much money you earned or how many goals you scored in the past — something Jason Garrison ($4.6-million) realized when he was sent to the minors.
“No question, I play the 20 guys that I think are going to win that night and it’s not more complicated than that,” Gallant said. “I like Tomas Tatar. He’s a good player when he’s played in our lineup. But right now, I’m real comfortable with the guys we got. It’s not more complicated than that.”
For now, that means a player who scored 25 goals last season and is earning $5.3 million sits, while Ryan Reaves ($1.125 million), who arrived in Vegas in a much less publicized trade from Pittsburgh, has found a permanent spot on the fourth line. In some ways, it makes no sense. But on a team where William Karlsson ($1 million) went from scoring six goals last year with the Columbus Blue Jackets to 43 this year and Erik Haula ($2.75 million) increased his goals output to 29 from 15 when he was with the Wild, it’s part of the Golden Knights’ charm. “We’re a great team and unfortunately everyone can’t play,” Karlsson said. “A guy like Tatar wants to play and even though he hasn’t, he’s been a real good guy here in the locker-room and always very positive and pushing the guys that are playing.” Forward David Perron added: “It’s a tough situation for him, for sure to not be able to play right now. He’s been a tremendous supporter of the team right now. There’s other guys in the same situation as him. We’re a team right now. It doesn’t matter who gets to play and who doesn’t. We want to win.” According to Gallant, Tatar’s inability to crack the roster on a regular basis is a numbers game more than anything. “There’s no fit,” Gallant said. “He’s more skilled than most guys on our team, but it’s not a matter of skill. It’s a matter of fit. I’m not going to stick him on the fourth line.”
At the same time, Tatar understands this year hasn’t been his best. With 20 goals and 34 points in total between Detroit and Vegas, he had the worst offensive season of his career.
The good news is he is not a rental. He has three more years remaining on his contract and, with James Neal and Perron potentially gone as free agents, he has the potential to make a greater impact next season. “This season wasn’t the best from every standpoint,” Tatar said. “You want to go home after the season and have a good summer and come back stronger. That’s the goal. But right now, we’re in the final. We’re on a hell of a run and that’s the only goal that everyone’s focusing on. “I don’t see a problem. I want to win a Cup. Whether you’re playing or not, you do everything you can.”