The Tatar-Danault-Gallagher line has fallen off a cliff. What is your explanation?

[26Mats]

Tatar-Danault-Gallagher were good for 2 years straight - until the return to play.

Since then, they've fallen off a cliff.

I don't fully have an explanation. Jas the game continued to get more skilled, and they just can't keep up? Are they losing a step with age, so they are no longer to out hustle the opposition?

 

[HabsWhiteKnightLOL]

They were good in 2 years of mediocrity. Alot of ice time cause nobody else was available. Teams were not taking us seriously (pretty sure they still don't). How many times we played against backup goalies. Remembers me of Galchenyuk , was playing dogshit the entire season then when we knew we were out of playoffs he scored like 20goals in 17games.

 

[GrandmaCookie]

Danault is underperforming, but Gallagher and Tatar still have pretty average seasons for their standard. That line still is a good possession line and good at 5vs5, it only look bad because Danault couldn't score to save his mother.

 

[Steve Austin]

Gally still gives his all and tries hard. Tatar is slumping and/or has begun to decline. As for Danault, it could be that he’s playing with a lot of pressure (wants to prove himself too much) and/or is overwhelmed knowing its contract year, or he’s simply checked out with the team (might be upset of him turning down 30m went public). Either one of those, or he’s simply regressed (it happens).

That being said, it doesn’t help that our dinosaur coaches keep trying to get them to get going together. It’s just NOT working. Try to create new chemistry with new teammates. Try Tatar and Gally with Kotkaniemi and slot Lehkonen and Armia with Danault. After all, Danault is more useful in defensive situations (and he’s scored 0 goals in 1 full year) and trying to spark him offensively just isn’t happening. It’s time the coach, management, and especially Danault to accept that.

Slotting Danault with Lehkonen and Armia won’t take anything away from him. If he finds his game back, then all the best - but the neverending experiment of trying to get him, Tatar and Gally going together just needs to die.

 

[frapp10]

Put Kotkaniemi as the center on that line for crying out loud

 

[13 Black]

Tatar is streaky. Always was and always will be. He may catch fire and score 5 in his next 6 games...you never really know....or just go cold for no apparent reason. He is what he is

Danault has caught Gomeztitis and is in a bad offensive slump. Not that he ever was an offensive juggernaut but he used to score here and there even if technically he's a 40pts 2 way guy

Gallagher...well he's Gallagher and grinding it like he always does. Not as explosive as he used to be tough. And his 2 linemates sure as hell don't help him much right now.

So all in all yes they did ok in the last couple of years but...this is/was our first line. If you compare that with bonafide legit first lines they look very average and would be a 3rd line on a true contender.

It is what it is

 

[OldCraig71]

It's tough for wingers to produce when their center rarely gives one of them a quality NHL pass. That line spends most of it's time chasing pucks into the corner and scrambling around like madmen, there is no flow/chemistry between them.

 

[NeptunesTrident]

Danault hasn't been right all season. He wanted to be paid as a #1C. It's in his head he passed on $30M and he can't get past it. Tatar seems to wear out his welcome wherever he goes. Gallagher is trying but at some point his style would take a toll and we might be starting to see it. They've been given ample playing time to get out of this slump so why Ducharme doesn't tweak the lines is beyond me.

 

[Skip Bayless]

Danault is unrecognizable. The effort is simply not there on a consistent basis. He should get the press box treatment.

Both Tatar and Danault used to feed off eachother, but they're both playing individual games now.

 

[salbutera]

Tatar in on his usual 20G & Gallagher 30G pace, the only issue is Danault’s complete lack of production

 

[SakuKoivu11]

Tatar is on pace for 20 goals in 82 games
Gallagher is on pace for 28 goals in 82 games
Danault is on pace for 0 goal in 82 games

 

[Treb]

Danault got the same virus DD got after 2011-2012. People got used to his tricks and he did not adapt.

 

[Beendair Donedat]

The reason the line sucks is the big gaping black hole down the middle.

Tatar ______________ Gallagher

Pretty easy to defend two undersized wingers when they get no support or help from the middle of the ice.

 

[le_sean]

Yeah blackhole on offence as a centre is the big reason. But I don’t like Tatar’s play this season. He hangs around the perimeter too much and gives poor effort most nights.

 

[HuGo Burner Acc]

Honestly I wouldn't split them up. I'd keep the Suzuki line intact going forward too. And then when Anderson comes back, slot him with KK and eventually bring up Caufield to play on that line

 

[LyricalLyricist]

2 of 3 are UFAs at end of season.

If this continues and habs suck long into the season the saving grace is we'd get something for them.

 

[calder candidate]

Gallagher still give it is all but he has loss a step, Tatar has always been streaky and Danault is probably playing with a piano on is back since the end of the play in series where the media had already name Suzuki and KK the top 2 centers and is contract status isn’t helping...

 

[L4br3cqu3]

Tatar should've been traded at the trade deadline last season, when his value was at its highest, before his abysmal 'playoffs' and this weird ass season.

Gallagher is all-in, all the time, but he always needed a player to create for him, that sure won't ever be Danault...

And Danault, well, seems like being Habs '1st line center' got to his head, then being reminded he was there by default (cause Julien) and being demoted by Muller pissed his ego so much he forgot what made him '1st line center' by default. Damn good thing he decided against signing that 6x5 offer...

Both him and Tatar being UFA, wouldn't mind dangling them to the highest bidder, to be honest... something Bergevin probably won't do, cause he's desperate to make the playoffs, and for some reasons, I think Ducharme has his hands tied by him, some choices he can't make...

 

[Mrb1p]

Danault ran out of his ridiculous ES luck, who woulda thought...

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

They were good in 2 years of mediocrity. Alot of ice time cause nobody else was available. Teams were not taking us seriously (pretty sure they still don't). How many times we played against backup goalies. Remembers me of Galchenyuk , was playing dogshit the entire season then when we knew we were out of playoffs he scored like 20goals in 17games.

Galchenyuk played really well that season actually. He just got the KK treatment. Points per minute were fantastic but he only got like five minutes a game...

He put up points at the end of the season when Therrien finally played him. Exhibit A of our "development" at work. Another mindblowingly dumb decision on our part.

 

[cactusjack]

Time to put KK with Gallagher and Tatar. But im curious to know with which pair of defense they play the most. If it’s Weber-Chiarot, it doesn’t help as they are not the best with the first pass on the breakout.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Danault hasn't been right all season. He wanted to be paid as a #1C. It's in his head he passed on $30M and he can't get past it. Tatar seems to wear out his welcome wherever he goes. Gallagher is trying but at some point his style would take a toll and we might be starting to see it. They've been given ample playing time to get out of this slump so why Ducharme doesn't tweak the lines is beyond me.

I think you're right on Danno. It's messed with his head.

And honestly, he's a 3rd line center and that's how he should be used.

 

[LaP]

Less TOI. Danault played on average almost 19 minutes last season. Almost 18 the previous season. I've been saying for 2 years their stats are inflated by the amount of TOI they got. 50 points playing almost 19 minutes is not good at all. It's actually mediocre.

 

[BigDaddyLurch]

This is why...no other response required...

 

[JianYang]

In the previous two years, they were hounds on the forcheck. They looked like a very annoying line to play against, because they played really hard, and didn't give the other teams much room to work with.

They had a synergy between each other, but it's time to move on. Lines do get stale after a while. This trio had their run, and now they have to find a new spark.

I don't even remember hearing tatar's name tonight, to be honest.