Pucks and Pitchforks
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New Jersey Devils Continue To Improve With Tomas Tatar

By David Holliday

Apr 17, 2021; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens left wing Tomas Tatar (90) during the warm-up session before the game against Ottawa Senators at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 17, 2021; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens left wing Tomas Tatar (90) during the warm-up session before the game against Ottawa Senators at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports /
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The New Jersey Devils made a few interesting moves on Thursday. They started the day off by signing Yegor Sharangovich to a two-year deal. The 23-year-old sniper will be with the Devils for the next two seasons and at the low cost of $2 million each season. This is a fantastic deal and with his spot next to Jack Hughes looking like it was locked in moving forward, he should easily net 20 goals this season on a team that is improving quickly.

The other move was the signing of free agent Tomas Tatar, who was sneaking under the radar with all the other big NHL news. This is another solid signing and it is clear that the organization is done rebuilding, at least in their own eyes, and plans to push for the playoffs. Whether they make it or not is a whole other thing, but moves like this should breath some confidence into the fan base who is tired of losing and had better be playing meaningful games in the final 15 of the season.

Tatar has been a solid goal scorer for years and before this short season had six consecutive with at least 20 goals. This season with 10 goals in 50 games he likely would have came up slightly short, but one hot streak could easily have changed that so there is no concern on that front. He is a player who misses almost no games, missing for only two at most in a six year span before the most recent season so it is a safe bet that this will continue and that he has no problems that could shorten a career unlike other, riskier players who could have been had.

If there is a problem with him, it is poor playoff performances. After being acquired by the Vegas Golden Knights, he was a healthy scratch on their almost miracle run and this season with the Habs it was a similar story. The Devils are not a playoff team until they can prove more, despite the positive steps, but once they get that far he will have something to prove in that he is not just a good regular season player.

Naturally, he will be slotting into the top six and playing big minutes so the question will be if he slots in better with Nico Hischier or Jack Hughes come training camp. His contract is only for two seasons and at a reasonable $4.5 million cap hit which gives the Devils room to continue building and not have to worry when others contracts come up. Overall, General Manager Tom Fitzgerald is having quite the off season and a lot more eyes will be on the black and red this season.

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