The New Jersey Devils big forward addition came a few days into free agency when they signed Tomas Tatar to a two-year deal. The Devils obviously needed some help in the top six, and they probably still do, but this was a good start to getting some veterans to play with Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier.
However, when really thinking about it, who would Tatar make more sense with? Hughes and Hischier are the present and future of this franchise, but they are very different players. Hughes is an all-or-nothing type who will make a superstar play if he gets the opportunity. Hischier is a smart player who waits for the play to come to him. Hughes can bring players up to his level while HIschier actually lifts superstars above him.
Tatar is an interesting winger. He’s been in and out of the dog house, but the outside world doesn’t seem to know why. He is a very consistent scorer and gives the Devils a positive influence in the top six. The Devils lost a very good scorer in Kyle Palmieri when they traded him to the New York Islanders. At a minimum, Tatar will replace him.
The Devils need finishers on the top line. Last season, Palmieri could not be that finisher. The team couldn’t rely on the veterans, so they needed goals from players like Yegor Sharangovich and Miles Wood. Those players should be adding goals from different lines, but forcing them to lead the team is not great. This is especially bad because Wood was playing with Michael McLeod. Hischier was left with Pavel Zacha and Jesper Bratt.
In Montreal, Tatar played a large majority of time with Brendan Gallagher. On paper, Gallagher and HIschier would be an interesting comparison. Gallagher lifts great players up, and Tatar had his best minutes with him. However, Gallagher has a much better offensive upside currently than Hischier. Hischier could get there, but Gallagher is there now.
Tatar mixing with Hughes actually sounds very interesting. It would force the Devils to break apart the Youths Line of Sharangovich-Hughes-Kuokkanen, but that was probably inevitable anyway. Hughes needs a finisher on his line, and Tatar can be that right now. Fitting him with Hughes and another young forward would be a great first line. He could help Hughes get better, which is key to making the Devils contenders.