The New Jersey Devils suffered another fourth-line injury on Friday night. Tomas Tatar suffered a lower-body injury in the second period and never returned. He's the last player from a fourth line that was trying to find its proper spot on the team.
Curtis Lazar is going to be out for a while, and Nathan Bastian already missed a few weeks. Bastian might return soon, but Lazar is going to be out months. We don't know much about what's actually wrong with Tatar, and we haven't had any reports as of Saturday afternoon before the Washington Capitals game.
#NEWS: F Tomas Tatar (lower body) will not return.
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) November 29, 2024
If Tatar is out long term, what would be the plan? Is it really sustainable to put out a line of Kurtis MacDermid, Justin Dowling, and Nolan Foote long term? Tatar didn't make that line great, but he at least made it competitive. That's not Foote's game at this point in his career. Tatar is a veteran who can make the most out of his minutes, and Keefe gave him a few extra shifts with other lines to give him an opportunity here or there.
It makes sense for the Devils, and Sheldon Keefe especially, to get creative with how to attack this roster moving forward. Seamus Casey already showed earlier this year that he can survive in the NHL. He did have some issues with letting up chances, but the Devils as a whole needed some time to gel. Right now, the forwards and defensemen have been playing incredibly well. So, we'd expect Casey to play better, as well.
The thing about Casey is he was great offensively, and that offensive prowess has not stopped after he was demoted to the Utica Comets. Going into Saturday night's contest, Casey has 14 points in 12 games. He's an NHL player without a spot to go. Johnathan Kovacevic playing as well as he has changed who gets to be in the NHL, and it's also why Simon Nemec is in the AHL.
So, why Casey over Nemec at this point in the year? Casey is better offensively, and the Devils need some offensive spark when nothing is working. The Devils' last four losses have been by shutout. It's honestly just weird at this point, but it's something the Devils should consider in future moves.
We are not advocating for a position change for Casey. Instead, the Devils should consider going 11-7 on defense. We know this is often met with groans, and Sheldon Keefe hasn't been a fan of this strategy in the past, but here in this very specific instance, it makes sense. Do the Devils want to hope for the best from a fourth line of MacDermid-Dowling-Foote, or would they rather split the 10 minutes they'd give the third person on that line to Casey and maybe some double shifts for Jack Hughes or Jesper Bratt?
It's an interesting debate, and the Devils might make a move to bolster the fourth line, but until they add talent and players return, adding Casey to the roster is a smart move.