Detroit and forward Tomas Tatar are scheduled to go to arbitration on Thursday, and now it’s known what offers the two sides are bringing to the table.
Per Sportsnet and MLive, Tatar is asking for $5.3 million next season, while the Red Wings are offering $4.1 million. Should the case go to arbitration, Tatar will receive a one-year pact.
Tatar’s reported ask shouldn’t come as a big surprise. Earlier this month, reports suggested he was looking for at least $5 million annually on a longer-term deal, this after wrapping a three-year pact that paid $2.75M per.
It’s easy to see why Tatar is looking to cash in. The 26-year-old netted 29, 21 and 25 goals in each of his last three campaigns, for a grand total of 75 -- more than Phil Kessel, Patrick Marleau and Matt Duchene have scored over the same timeframe.
If he and the Red Wings can’t reach a long-term deal prior to Thursday, it could be acrimonious. Tatar has suggested going to arbitration and settling on a one-year deal could mean the end of his time in Detroit.
“Detroit offered me a contract, and even with a few options — for a year, or four or five. We’re still talking about the length, and of course, the financial amount of the contract,” Tatar told CSA.sk earlier this month, per the Detroit News. “However, we aren’t going anywhere, and there’s been time enough.”
“Arbitration is the last option, I have to sign off, it’s just a mandatory contract. Unless I agree with Detroit, I’ll go to the court (salary arbitration), where they’ll give me a year’s contract. That would probably be my last season in Detroit. We’ll see in a few days or weeks before it all comes together.”
