Opinion: The Worst Trade From the 2018 Trade Deadline
It was much later in the day, very close to the deadline. The Vegas Golden Knights were trying their best to close out a blockbuster that would bring Erik Karlsson over from Ottawa. It didn't work, and instead the Golden Knights went to Detroit to pick up another forward for their playoff run. 27-year old Tomas Tatar was acquired from Detroit, having 28 points in 60 games. He currently has another 3 years left at a 5.3 million dollar cap hit.
In exchange, Detroit acquired a 2018 first round pick, a 2019 second round pick, and a 2021 3rd round pick. This was an excellent move for the Red Wings. On top of the solid return, it also cleared up a roster spot for next season, and shed a large cap hit for a fairly long amount of time. All of this helps them with their rebuild, even if this was one of Detroit's higher skilled players.
Looking at Vegas' side of the deal, it hasn't been as pleasant. Tatar wasn' a known playoff warrior like Nick Bonino or Jake Guentzel, but had 3 points in 5 games in the 2016 playoffs. This year however, he hasn't registered a single point during the playoffs. He has been a healthy scratch on a regular basis, only playing in 4 games this playoffs (Vegas has played 11 games during the playoffs this year). For a player who's making 5+ million dollars, and isn't injured like Nathan Horton or Joffrey Lupul, that's just unacceptable.
Of course Tatar has time to make his case in Vegas, with 3 more years left on his contract. He also managed to pick up 6 points in 20 games with the Golden Knights before the end of the season. Nothing spectacular, but at least he's proven that he CAN score.
As it stands though, I believe this was the worst trade from the 2018 trade deadline.
Do you agree with this, or do you think another trade was worse? Leave a comment below.
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