The Detroit Red Wings did not want one of their top up-and-coming players to get away. They signed left wing Tomas Tatar to a three-year deal, worth an average of $2.75 million per season.
In 2014 (his first full year with the team), Tatar recorded the second-most goals on the team by netting 19. He added 20 assists in the 73 games he played. (Right wing Gustav Nyquist amassed a team-high 28 goals.)
Tatar shot a team-high 158 shots in 2014. He has appeared in 100 career games, in which he has posted 24 goals and 23 assists, reports The Associated Press.
Tatar, who is 23 years old, was drafted by Detroit in the 2009 NFL Draft.
Prior to joining the Red Wings in the NHL, he played three-plus seasons with the Grand Rapids Griffins. He was the leading scorer on the 2013 Griffins team that captured the Calder Cup title, according to CBS Sports.
His hockey talents also led him to be a part of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, where he represented his home country of Slovakia.