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Friedman Reports: Oilers Have Looked Into Canadiens’ Tomas Tatar

Sportsnet Insider Elliotte Friedman is reporting that the Edmonton Oilers have looked into Tomas Tatar out of Montreal.

Let’s take a look at some of the many names that have been attached to the Edmonton Oilers as the team searches for a top-six forward before the Feb 24 NHL Trade Deadline.

Andreas Athanasiou is a player GM Ken Holland is familiar with and the Detroit Red Wings will be sellers at this year’s deadline. As such, the Oilers have been conneted to the Red Wings on more than one occasion.

On Tuesday, TSN’s Pierre Lebrun suggested the Florida Panthers might be willing to move Mike Hoffman for defensive help and while he didn’t have any information that would directly connect the Oilers and Panthers, LeBrun connected the dots and said there might be a fit there.

A large number of the media scribes in the Edmonton area suggest the Oilers are heavily watching what happens with Jean-Gabriel Pageau. Since the start of the season, insiders have suggested the Oilers biggest need is a third-line center who can play up and down the lineup if needed.

The latest is a report from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman that suggests the Oilers have kicked tires on Tomas Tatar. Friedman writes in his latest 31 Thoughts column that the Oilers have “looked into” the Montreal Canadiens forward. Talk about another player Holland is extremely familiar with.

Related: Canadiens Eyeing Kovalchuk and Domi Trades

The Likelihood Montreal Trades Tatar

Friedman also notes that the Pittsburgh Penguins might have interest in Tatar which means, should the Oilers be interested, there may be competition to acquire his services. That is, if the Canadiens are legitimately thinking about trading him.

Tatar has seen somewhat of a resurgence in Montreal. He is about to pass last season’s totals which were a lowly 34 points in 2017-18, and the time he spent in Vegas was not kind to his rep as a productive NHL’er. But, as he continues to rebound, it begs the question, why would Montreal want to move a potential 50-60 point player who is under contract for one more season at $4.8 million?

At this point, if the Canadiens think to move Tatar, it’s because they believe a sizable makeover is in order and the return for moving him outweighs the desire to keep him. Likely not a playoff team, there are serious questions about what GM Marc Bergevin is thinking about doing with his team. The rest of the NHL is probably wondering as well which means, at the very least, they’re calling to see what he’s got on the market and what he doesn’t.

Related: Oilers and Nurse Heading Towards a Two-Year Bridge Deal

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