Sniper Tatar remains a good fit with Habs

Proven 20-goal man ignores trade talk, says he’s too busy enjoying life in Montreal

I will never forget the first time I interviewed Tomas Tatar.

It was at the beginning of training camp last season, only four days after the Canadiens had acquired him from the Vegas Golden Knights as part of the

Max Pacioretty trade. Tatar was sitting on the stage at the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard that’s used for coach Claude Julien’s news conferences. Tatar was wearing a Canadiens ball cap, a zip-up sweatshirt and shorts.

I couldn’t believe how muscular Tatar’s legs were and how fit he looked.

Tatar, who is five-foot-10 and 183 pounds, turned 29 on Dec. 1, but he’s a very young looking 29. He’s only three goals away from his sixth straight 20-plus goal season, and with 17 goals in 51 games, is on pace for 28, one short of his career high set with the Detroit Red Wings in 2014-15.

Tatar is also very durable, missing only three regular-season games over the last six seasons.

It’s for all those reasons that other teams will no doubt be calling Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin before the Feb. 24

NHL trade deadline inquiring about Tatar, who has one more season left on his four-year, Us$21.2-million contract with a $5.3 million salary-cap hit.

It’s also for all those reasons that Bergevin shouldn’t be in a rush to trade Tatar, unless he can find another proven 20-plus goal scorer who can have the same chemistry on a line with Phillip Danault and Brendan Gallagher. One of the Canadiens’ biggest problems is that they don’t have enough players who can put the puck in the net on a consistent basis, so it makes sense to keep Tatar around unless Bergevin is made an offer he simply can’t refuse. That offer should include more than just draft picks.

“To be honest, I don’t really listen to it,” Tatar said about trade rumours. “Those analysts, it’s their job. I think anything can happen. I guess at the end it’s always the decision with the general manager to make. But, to be honest, I’m still hoping we don’t have to have this conversation.

We want to be still in the (playoff ) hunt, and hopefully before that trade deadline comes, we’ll pick up as many points so that we’re still in the hunt.”

The Canadiens own a 22-22-7 record heading into Thursday’s game in Buffalo against the Sabres and their playoff hopes are all but gone. But Tatar has another year remaining on his contract, so Bergevin shouldn’t be in a rush to trade the Canadiens’ leading scorer with 17-2744 totals if he hopes to make the playoffs next season.

“I feel great,” Tatar said. “I’m fortunate, knock on wood,

I didn’t have many injuries through my career. My body’s feeling great, so I think this could be the best time of my life, from the strength and the experience you gain through the course of your career.

“Our whole line is working and we’re clicking,” Tatar added. “Obviously, you want to contribute, so I’m very happy the puck is going in. It would be nice to hit 30 (goals) one day. I think now I’m the closest probably to that.”

Another thing Bergevin has to factor in is the fact Tatar really enjoys playing under the bright spotlight in Montreal — something many free agents haven’t been interested in experiencing.

“I’ve never seen such interest from people about hockey, in media and everything,” added Tatar, who also experienced Hockeytown in Detroit for six seasons after being selected by the Red Wings in the second round (60th overall) of the 2009 NHL Draft. “I would say this is the top of the top and I’m really enjoying it.”

As for being recognized by Canadiens fans everywhere he goes around town, Tatar said:

“It’s a part of hockey. What are you playing it for? You’re playing it for people, and as many people who can watch, the better . ...

“It’s not as bad as you think,” he added. “People are very nice to me, so it’s very easy to go around. They’re really helpful. With the French language, they try to help me out, and I’m trying to pick up as much as I can. Like I said, I’m just really enjoying it.”

The city also reminds Tatar a bit of his hometown of Ilava, Slovakia. “Montreal is like a European city,” he said. “Architecture, food-wise, people speaking French, it reminds me of Europe and my home, so it’s kind of nice.”