SEATTLE, Wash. — December 15, 2023 — Today, the Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) announced that they have acquired forward Tomas Tatar from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for a fifth-round selection in the 2024 NHL Draft.
Tatar, 33, joins the Kraken after scoring one goal and adding eight assists in 27 games with the Avalanche this season. The Avalanche have scored 15 5-on-5 goals when Tatar has been on the ice this season, which ranks fifth among the team’s forwards according to Natural Stat Trick. He is averaging 1.96 blocks per 60 this year, which is the highest mark of his 13-year career.
The five-foot-10, 173-pound forward has totaled 464 points (212 goals, 252 assists) in 810 regular-season games with the Avalanche, New Jersey Devils, Montreal Canadiens, Vegas Golden Knights, and Detroit Red Wings. His 810 games played are the second-most of any skater on Seattle’s roster, trailing only Jordan Eberle’s 968. Tatar ranks in the top 15 among Slovakian players all-time in career goals (10th), assists (15th), points (14th) and games played (13th). The forward has scored at least 20 goals in a season seven times in his career, including in six consecutive seasons from 2014-15 to 2019-20. He’s added 13 points (six goals, seven assists) in 52 career playoff games, which includes appearing in the 2018 Stanley Cup Final with the Golden Knights.
A native of Ilava, Slovakia, Tatar has represented his home country in nearly every level on international competition, including the IIHF World Junior Championship (2009, 2010), the IIHF World Championship (2010, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2019, 2022), and the Winter Olympic Games (2014). He won a silver medal in 2012 at the IIHF World Championship and served as his team’s captain at the 2022 IIHF World Championship. Tatar was also a member of Team Europe, which finished as the runner-up at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
Prior to making his NHL debut, Tatar played parts of four seasons (2009-10 to 2012-13) with the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League (AHL). He recorded 196 points (87 goals, 109 assists) in 256 AHL regular-season games and added 21 points (16 goals, five assists) in 24 playoff games. Tatar won the Calder Cup (AHL Championship) with the Griffins in 2013 and was named the league’s playoff MVP after leading all AHL skaters with 16 goals. Tatar was originally selected by Detroit in the second round (30th overall) of the 2009 NHL Draft.