Tomas Tatar #90 of the New Jersey Devils (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Bottom Six
Tomas Tatar
G: 15 A: 20 PTS: 35
Last season, Tomas Tatar was supposed to be the veteran guy on the top line. With his history of putting up points, he should have been a safe bet to hit 60 points not 30. This year, he has a ton to prove and could be anywhere in the lineup from the third to the first line. He is also on a contract year and players tend to play better in those. However, moving forward it is unlikely he is with the Devils unless he finds some great chemistry with a big name. He did have a great preseason though so that could be a sign of good things to come.
Andreas Johnsson
G: 6 A: 8 PTS: 14
After a much better season last year, things could have turned around for Andreas Johnsson. Unfortunately, it is pretty evident the team doesn’t value him all that much. He has no chance of moving into the top six, something most thought was likely when the Devils traded for him.
Erik Haula
G: 12 A: 20 PTS: 32
Erik Haula should fit nicely on the bottom end of the roster but it is hard not to have questions when you have played on 6 teams in 5 years. But if he can hit some people and keep up his production it should be a great short-term fix for the Devils while the kids develop.
Michael McLeod
G: 8 A: 14 PTS: 21
We all know Michael McLeod’s job is to win faceoffs, kill some penalties, and hit people and that is what makes him a good fourth-line center. Nothing flashy but with a full year next to Nathan Bastian and potentially Miles Wood, he could hit 20 points again while doing his job.
Nathan Bastian
G: 15 A: 10 PTS: 25
The big man showed a lot last season after he was reclaimed off waivers from the Seattle Kraken and will do exactly what we expect. Be at the top of the hits chart with Wood, stand up for his team, and put a few pucks in the net along the way.
Miles Wood
G: 20 A: 10 PTS: 30
Miles Wood is an absolute Wild Card. As of right now, Devils fans should just be hoping he is 100% healthy and healed. With the way he plays it would be hard to expect a full 82 out of him either way but he has the speed and skill to net some goals and if he is back in front of the net on the PP he could finally hit the 20 goal mark and hit 30 points for the first time. There is also a lot of opportunity for him to move around the lineup thanks to his size and speed so he is hard to predict.