Devils Reunite With Old Friend Tomáš Tatar

The New Jersey Devils are hoping Tomáš Tatar rekindles some of his chemistry with Nico Hischier

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As it turns out, a reunion with Tomâš Tatar does make sense for the New Jersey Devils. Early yesterday afternoon, the Devils announced they were bringing back Tatar on a one-year deal worth $1.8 million. He struggled this past season with just 24 points in 76 games between the Colorado Avalanche and Seattle Kraken, but the Devils are hoping he bounces back in a familiar setting.

Let's look at the Tatar signing, how he fits into a new but familiar Devils forward group, and if he can bounce back after a steep dropoff in his play this past season.

Tatar Wasn't the Same Without the Devils

Tatar didn't just regress this past season. His game pretty much fell off a cliff. After the Devils didn't re-sign him last offseason, he opted to sign a one-year deal with the Avalanche before camp began in September. No one could fault the Avalanche for signing him based on his 2022-23 season with the Devils when he scored 20 goals and added 28 assists in 82 games.

Because it's the Avalanche, one would have thought that would work out pretty well since they seem to have a knack for getting the best out of players. But Tatar struggled right out of the gate and went his first 25 games without scoring a goal for the Avalanche. He notched his first one in his second-to-last game before they traded him to the Kraken for a mid-round pick.

Tatar was a bit better with Kraken, at least initially. He totaled six goals and 11 points in his first 20 games in Seattle — a 25-goal, 45-point pace over 82 games. He also fired 32 shots on goal, putting him on pace for 131 over 82 contests. Those numbers are relatively similar to where he was with the Devils in 2022-23, but he couldn't sustain it.

Tatar finished with just four points across his final 23 games of the season, so there's no doubt it was a struggle. His microstats were also quite concerning, as pretty much everything he did well with the Devils disappeared between the Kraken and Avalanche:

That image on the left of Corey's tweet is what the Devils are hoping Tatar can return to. The thing is, I'm not sure that's a lock or even close to one. That's not to say it can't happen, but he is 33, and you never know when a player can fall off a cliff.

On the flip side, players usually don't fall off a cliff that dramatically after having such a great season the year before. Tatar was fantastic in 2022-23 for the Devils, even if 20 goals and 48 points don't seem overwhelming. They dominated teams at five-on-five when Tatar was on the ice, totaling expected goals share (xG%) of 62.18 percent and outscoring teams 61-28 in his five-on-five minutes.