Grading Each New Jersey Devils Players' Playoff Performances

New Jersey Devils celebrate their win over the New York Rangers in game seven of the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

Use your ← → (arrows) to browse

The New Jersey Devils wrapped up their first playoff run since 2018 with a 3-2 overtime loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, dropping the series 4-1. The team has a lot to be proud of, especially after coming back from down 2-0 in the series to defeat the rival New York Rangers in seven games. The ensuing series against Carolina didn’t go according to plan, though. As a result, some players finished their postseason playing much better or worse than their teammates.

Of course, the Devils came into the playoffs as a mostly young team with a few veteran guys sprinkled in to add experience and a calming presence. Ondrej Palat was brought in to be one of those guys, but he couldn’t do it alone. After rebounding from a down year that made him a potential cap casualty and trade candidate, the fall from grace was less than kind to Tomas Tatar.

Tatar played in all 12 games for New Jersey, featured on lines with both Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier. He also had time on the second power-play unit. Unfortunately, the most you can say about Tatar’s playoff performance is exactly that. Tatar managed just one goal – his only point in the playoffs – on a shot that gave the Devils a 2-0 lead in Game 7 against New York. An important goal, yes, but John Marino did most of the heavy lifting and Tatar was there to finish the rest.

A non-descript postseason has seen Tatar descend from a candidate for a new contract with New Jersey to a player who might be searching for a new home and his third team in four years. An individual timely goal won’t be enough to salvage this performance from Tatar.

Use your ← → (arrows) to browse