Devils Forward Leaves NHL, Signs Contract in Switzerland

New Jersey Devils forward, Tomas Tatar, has opted to pause, or perhaps end, his NHL career. The Slovakian forward has signed a two-year contract overseas in Switzerland, inking a new deal with EV Zug.

READ MORE: Bold Devils Trade Target Goalscorer Could be Closer to Home Than Realized

EV Zug made the official announcement Tuesday morning.

As opposed to playing wing like he has for the majority of his NHL career, EV Zug explains Tatar will play as a center for the next two seasons.

“In recent years, Tomáš has regularly played in the wing position – with us, he will be used as a center,” explains EV Zug General Manager Reto Kläy.

If this is it for Tatar’s NHL career, he ends playing in North America after 927 NHL games with the Devils, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, Vegas Golden Knights, Colorado Avalanche, and Seattle Kraken.

Across Tatar’s 14-year NHL career, Tatar scored 227 goals and 269 assists for 496 points.

In three seasons with the Devils, Tatar accrued 42 goals, 53 assists, and 95 points in 232 games.

In his final year in New Jersey, Tatar served mostly in a bottom-six role. He scored seven goals and 17 points in 74 games,

The Devils re-kindled with Tatar last summer after a one-year gap where the two sides couldn’t agree to a contract. He spent 2023-24 playing first for the Avalanche before being traded to the Kraken.

General manager Tom Fitzgerald brought Tatar back with the hope that he could replicate his 2022-23 season playing alongside Nico Hischier and Dawson Mercer when he scored 20 goals and 48 points.

In the 2014-15 season, Tatar nearly reached 30 goals, scoring 29 with the Red Wings, a career high for Tatar.

He had his best season in the NHL during 2019-20, scoring 22 goals and 61 points with the Canadiens.

For more Devils news, visit New Jersey Hockey Now, subscribe to our YouTube and like our Facebook page.

Follow us on 𝕏:

@NJDHockeyNow, @JamesNicholsNHL

And on Threads:

@JamesNicholsNHL