I think Johnsson is a potential bounce back candidate. Hopefully he can be a 3rd line option at the least.
Plus trading him now is pointless: he'd bring back absolutely nothing as he's at the nadir of his value, so even a minor bounce back next season could actually turn him into an asset, whether for us or as a chip. I think with a regular season with the proper scheduling for days off, practice time, not having COVID, etc., he should absolutely improve next season to at least be a decent piece for the bottom six.
I'll just repeat what I said before: this is a good signing with really just about no downside. If Tatar is a bust, he's a bust, it's not like we're hurting for cap space. But the odds of him being a straight-up bust seem minimal; in a best case scenario he gives our young centers an experienced winger to work and develop with and acts as an ideal stop gap until our better wing prospects are ready to make the big club, all while helping us get back to competing for a playoff spot, while in a more negative scenario he's a perfectly decent player on a still-young-but-still-struggling team that can likely be traded for a nice return given the short term he's signed to.
If he was blocking someone who was ready to break through and take a top wing spot I'd be annoyed, but Marty was right awhile back when talking to the press about the organization's past bad habit of rushing prospects to the NHL; as a stopgap, Tatar gives Holtz, Mercer, Foote, and others a chance to marinate longer in Utica or get a chance to play more sheltered minutes in the NHL if they get the call and they don't want to toss them in the deep end right away. And if one of them does take the job by the throat? Well, not like Tatar is here on a massive contract, so those issues can be worked around in some manner or another.
Obviously this isn't like the Hamilton deal; Fitz clearly envisions Hamilton being around and making an impact when this club is ready to actually fight for a deep playoff run. But Tatar can help the process of the Devils working towards that point, whether as an on-ice help to the young guys or eventually as a trade chip. Good job on this one. I'm in no hurry to see any other big signings/trades this offseason, but if anything does go down I hope it's either something worth giving something up for ala the Hamilton signing, or it's moves for some veteran depth to back up the young guys in case of injuries.