2. Tomas Tatar
Just think about how different things would be if players would just accept the offers the Devils made. Tom Fitzgerald made a multi-year offer to Tomas Tatar last offseason before free agency began, but Tatar thought he could earn more on the open market. The market completely rejected him, and he was forced to sign a prove-it deal with the Colorado Avalanche after the Devils traded for Tyler Toffoli (ironically, another player who declined a Devils extension, but his worked out).
Tatar was humbled this season. After putting up 20 goals and 48 points with the Devils in 2022-23, Tatar was only able to put up nine goals and 24 points. It was not a good season, which did get decently better after the Avalanche moved Tatar to the Seattle Kraken. Was the pressure too much? Tatar has been known to play below his previous level in the playoffs. Would this equate to the expectations of playing with the Avalanche?
That is the case against this, as the Devils are going into this season with sky-high expectations. However, they know how to best use Tatar. They can put him in a position to succeed. Even if he can’t quite play in the top six, adding 15 goals on the bottom six would be well worth whatever the contract costs.