Red Wings' Tomas Tatar: Subject of trade rumors

Tatar will be a restricted free agent at the end of this season, and there's been speculation from The Hockey Writers that he could wind up in Philadelphia.

Analysis:

We'll preface our take on Tatar by reminding you that this is nothing but a rumor, but a trade to the Flyers would make sense given that the Red Wings' gaudy playoff streak of 25 straight seasons is in jeopardy of being snapped, and this is a team that had little choice but to waive minor-league forward phenom Teemu Pulkkinen -- he's contributed 27 points in 35 games with the AHL's Wild -- ahead of the season. Tatar's contract will expire this summer, at which point the Red Wings will also need to come to terms on a new deal with young guns like the crafty Andreas Athanasiou -- who will be restricted like Tatar -- as well as deciding what to do with a scoring leader in veteran Thomas Vanek, who can freely hit the open market. Remember, Tatar amassed 50 goals over a two-year span between 2014-16, and with Philly currently ranked 14th in goals per game, that squad could use another complement to the likes of captain Claude Giroux to gain ground in an ultra-competitive Metropolitan Division. The team from the Motor City desperately needs a power-play defenseman, and the Flyers are well-equipped with puck-movers on the back line. As reported by the Chicago Sun-Times, Tatar could also be of interest to the Blackhawks.