The 2024-25 season ended for the New Jersey Devils after their first-round exit in the playoffs at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes. The Devils made a decent playoff push, but in the end, all the injuries did them in. In the regular season, the Devils had a record of 42-33-7. Each player on the team contributed in different ways, with some having a better performance than others. Let’s look at Tomas Tatar’s 2024-25 season performance.
Tatar’s Season With New Jersey
Tatar rejoined the Devils after a season away, split between the Colorado Avalanche and the Seattle Kraken. He came back to the East Coast after New Jersey signed him as a free agent on July 2, 2024, and received a one-year contract worth $1.8 million. This was his third season with the Devils and his 14th season in the NHL. On Jan. 29, he played in his milestone 900th career game. He concluded the season with 927 total career games.
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In 74 regular-season games, Tatar recorded 17 points via seven goals and 10 assists. He also went minus-7 for the season. His career stats reached 227 goals and 269 assists. He played left wing on the fourth line alongside Erik Haula at center and Nathan Bastian at right wing. Once they reached the playoffs and Jack Hughes was injured, Haula moved up to the second line, and Justin Dowling centered the fourth line. Tatar played in four playoff games; he recorded zero points but went plus-1. His total on-ice (TOI) average was 11:06, his lowest since joining the NHL full-time. He was also on the second power-play unit and had the fewest amount of blocked shots on his unit, 19. This season was his lowest points total since playing full-time in the NHL.
Tatar’s Past Seasons With the Devils
The Devils signed Tatar before the beginning of the 2021-22 season. He hit the free agency market and wasn’t signed until Aug. 5. In the 2021-22 season, he played in 76 regular-season games and recorded 30 points via 15 goals and 15 assists. He had his worst-ever plus/minus with a minus-22.
In the following season, Tatar found his footing with New Jersey. He recorded 48 points via 20 goals and 28 assists. He also recorded his best plus/minus, going plus-41. This showed the duality in his play style and how players can have a bad season one year and a great season the next.
Despite having a great season in 2022-23, the Devils elected not to re-sign Tatar and let him hit the free agency. He signed with the Avalanche on Sep. 12, 2023, just a month before the new season began.
Tatar’s Future in Hockey
On May 27, Tatar announced he had signed a two-year contract with EV Zug in Switzerland, likely concluding a storied career in the NHL. 927 games with six different teams is a huge accomplishment that he should be proud of. It stings that he couldn’t hit 1,000 games in the NHL after being just shy of the milestone, but he must do what’s best for him. After playing on the fourth line all season, perhaps he wants to head to a league where he will have more of a chance to spend time on the ice.
Wishing Tatar all the best of luck in Switzerland.
Tatar’s Overall Grade
After his performance in his final season in the NHL, Tatar received a C. He had his lowest-performing season in the league since he went full-time. He recorded points and was at least positive in his plus/minus. However, there were several injuries the Devils faced this season. While other players on the bottom six lines stepped up to fill in what was needed in the top six, he stayed right where he was on the fourth line. He moved up for a couple of games, but he didn’t make a strong enough impact to keep him in the top six. It wasn’t a bad season, but it certainly wasn’t great.
Tatar’s signing with Switzerland is a good indication that the Devils had no intention of re-signing him for the 2025-26 season. His performance is a big contributing factor. In the end, he didn’t step up to the plate as much as the Devils needed him to.
