Devils Need Tatar to Rebound in 2024-25

The New Jersey Devils need Tomáš Tatar to look closer to his 2022-23 self this season. The question is, can he?

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Would I have liked the New Jersey Devils to add a more proven scorer this offseason? You bet, but general manager Tom Fitzgerald instead chose to reunite with Tomáš Tatar on a one-year deal worth $1.8 million.

I'm sure Tatar brings some intangibles the Devils like, namely his veteran and locker-room presence. But the team will need more than that from him this season.

Tatar doesn't need to be a 60-point scorer as he was with the Montreal Canadiens. Those days are probably a thing of history anyway, but they need him to be better than he was with the Seattle Kraken and Colorado Avalanche last season. The question is, can Tatar rebound? Or is he in decline?

Tatar's Tough 2023-24

Just to refresh everyone's memory, Tatar's 2023-24 season did not go well. In fact, you could argue it was the worst of his career. He finished with only nine goals and 24 points in 70 games between the Kraken and Avalanche, and it's not just his counting totals that were concerning, at least early in the season.

Tatar struggled mightily with the Avalanche, posting just a 45.28 expected goals share (xG%) in 27 games before they traded him to the Kraken for a mid-round pick.

Tatar did show signs of life with the Kraken, especially early in his stint there. He totaled five goals and 11 points in his first 20 games in Seattle, a 21-goal, 45-point pace over 82 games. He finished with 20 goals and 48 points in 2022-23 with the Devils, so it looked like he was back.

However, Tatar went cold to end the season with the Kraken, finishing with just two goals and four points in his final 23 games. Still, even with the cold close to 2023-24, his underlying numbers with the Kraken were pretty solid.

Tatar posted a 51.26 xG%, and the Kraken outscored their opponents 22-11 when he was on the ice. He was the Kraken's third-most efficient five-on-five scorer, averaging 1.72 points per 60 minutes, a rate you'd expect for a middle-six winger.