Is Kevin Bahl ready to grab full time opportunity with the Devils?

New Jersey Devils, Featured, Ice Hockey, Professional

August 2, 2023

New Jersey Devils defenseman Kevin Bahl might have finally made his way onto the NHL roster full-time.

After appearing in 42 games last season, Bahl was awarded with a two-year contract, signed just this week.

The 23-year old’s contract will be worth $2.1 million with an AAV of $1.05 million. The signing came after he had a career-year where he seemed to secure his spot on the roster. With the departure of Damon Severon and Ryan Graves, two roster spots opened up, and Bahl is ready to fight for that spot.

Bahl only has 66 career games under his belt, so he is still developing. But, as a spectator, it has been easy to see the improvements made over his first few seasons of switching between the AHL and the NHL.

“I think I came a long way,” Bahl said when he spoke to the media.

Bahl had a back and forth season this year. He would go weeks sitting as an extra player and then play a few games, so it was hard for him to settle down. As a young defenseman in the league, nerves are going to get to you, so once he was able to string a few games together it was easy to see he became more comfortable playing with the team.

As a team that was on the rise, the team’s morale was high. Everyone was playing confidently and the chemistry between everyone was as clear as day. As a player who would sit as an extra for weeks, neither of those elements were really there. During his time as an extra player, he would spend additional time practicing with assistant coach Ryan McGill. McGill taught him how to be confident in yourself no matter what. Bahl mentioned the relationship between those two was a critical part to his development.

His physicality is what stuck out to me the most. As the season went on, Bahl learned he can be the physical guy on the team. Coming in at 6-foot-6, 230lbs., Bahl would tower over the opposing teams. Using his body correctly, without being awarded a penalty, was something he needed to learn how to do. As the months went on, it was clear Bahl learned how to play in certain situations where his physicality came into play.

As he spoke to the media, he mentioned things like learning when and where to lay hits on players. As someone with his height, people might think he should be hitting players every time they skate by him. But, Bahl talked about the different things he learned about hits, the speed, the timing and stick positioning; it is a learning curve that he got more used to as the season went on.

As he gains more experience, there is no doubt Bahl can be an everyday NHL player. Like any other player, he will get better as he spends more time in the league, more time practicing and more time learning from others.

“I do feel very prepared, but I don’t feel at all comfortable,” Bahl said as he spoke to the media about the opening roster spots despite playing 42 games last season.

As September is right around the corner, training camp will begin soon. Will Kevin Bahl be a full-time NHL player this season?