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Thoughts on Severson / Free Agency: RFAs - Kevin Bahl |
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Thoughts on Severson / Free Agency: RFAs - Kevin Bahl
Happy Monday everyone! Before we jump into the next RFA profile, we had some trade news come out of Newark last week. Longtime Defenseman Damon Severson was part of a sign and trade deal with Columbus. According to CapFriendly, Damon Severson was signed to an 8 year / $50 M deal, then traded to Columbus in exchange for their 3rd round pick, 80th overall for this year’s draft. I want to wish Severson all the best. Based on his value and our cap situation (particularly if Bratt and Timo both resign), there was close to no way we could afford him as our 3rd liner while trying to keep the core together. Severson was one of the longest tenured Devils on this roster, being drafted at the end of the 2nd round in 2012 and making his debut in 2014. He played an active role in the defense, contributing well offensively and being used in a number of roles in the special teams over the years. Best of luck in Columbus, Damon, and thanks for everything!
While we’re on the subject of the trade, I wanted to expand a bit on the 80th overall pick. This pick has had quite a journey, originally belonging to Calgary. It was sent to Seattle as part of a package to get Calle Järnkrok to Calgary. The pick was then flipped from Seattle to Columbus so that Oliver Bjorkstrand could suit up for the Kraken. Now, it will most likely be used by the Devils for this upcoming draft, assuming it is not part of another trade package. Now, some of you may be asking, how valuable is this pick? The answer is somewhat variable. A 3rd round selection in this range has some serious potential but there’s no guarantees. For reference, here’s a list of notable draft picks from the range of of 75th-85th overall since the 2013 draft:
2013 - Jake Guentzel and Anthony Duclair
2014 - Ilya Sorokin and Brayden Point
2015 - Adin Hill
2016 - N/A
2017 - Stuart Skinner and Reilly Walsh (hope he gets a call up this season)
2018 - N/A
2019 - Graeme Clarke (same as Walsh)
2020 - Nico Daws (not a bad backup option worse case scenario)
2021 - N/A
2022 - N/A
Do I hope we can find another undervalued asset deeper in the draft? Absolutely. Is it for sure going to happen? Only time will tell.
Here’s an update on our possible RFA situation and cap so far with suggestions:
Offense:
Nathan Bastian - Resigned $1.3M (could be 1-3 years, up to Bastian/Devils)
Jesper Boqvist - Resigned $1.5M (1-2 year prove it deal)
Jesper Bratt - Resigned $7.5M (Assuming a trade doesn’t come along that we like)
Michael McCleod - Resigned $1.75M
Timo Meier - Resigned $8.5M
Yegor Sharangovich - Part of a trade package
Defense:
Kevin Bahl
Goaltending:
MacKenzie Blackwood
Leftover Cap - $14,032,500
Our next RFA to discuss is:
Kevin Bahl
Fun Fact: Kevin Bahl was not originally going to focus on hockey. Instead, he aimed to make soccer his key athletic focus in his youth. That changed following a physical collision during a game. While we’re on the subject of his youth sports career, he went to Blyth Academy, a private school system based in Canada that churned out NHLers Aaron Eckblad and Mitch Marner.
Player Profile and Season Storyline:
A mid-2nd Round Pick from Arizona, Bahl came over to NJ as part of the Taylor Hall deal in 2019. Since then, he spent a number of seasons bouncing between Binghamton, Utica, and the main Devils roster. Bahl had a breakout season this year in terms of games, points, minutes, and hits. He has utilized his physical frame and defensive chops to become an incredibly strong shutdown defenseman. His ability to transfer his skills well in the playoff setting this year solidified to me that he is ready for the NHL full time.
Stat Analysis:
This season, Bahl put together 42 games in the regular season, going 2G-6A-8P with a +4 and totaling only 35 penalty minutes. He averaged about 14 minutes on the ice with 64 hits, per Hockey Reference. He also ate big minutes during the playoffs, with his Rangers Game 3 performance topping off at over 19 minutes and 26 shifts.
Benefits and Drawbacks for Bringing Back:
Benefits - Young physical shutdown defender.
Drawbacks - Not a huge point defender.
Should we keep him:
Verdict - Keep. Kevin Bahl was a strong and consistent force for this team this season. He’s earned a new contract, showing that we have a young top 4 defender in our midst.
Comparable Contracts:
Given that Kevin Bahl is 22 and will use his most recent NHL season as a litmus test of what he is capable of, we’re going to be looking for young defensemen whose full season totals put them at a plus minus rating of +5-10 range with a similar physical build. This contract should also not be his full long term contract, based on his age, but rather a multi-year holdover until he hits his mid-20s. Here are some options to keep in mind:
Nicholas Hague, VGK - $2,294,150
Mattias Samuelsson, BUF - $4,285,714
Philip Broberg, EDM - $863,333
Johnathan Kovacevic, MTL - $766,667
With his current contract expiring at $795K, Kevin Bahl’s price range is roughly between $1-3 M. I would shoot for around $1.5M AAV for 2-3 years as a prove it deal. That leaves our cap situation as:
Leftover Cap - $12,532,500
Leave your thoughts or comments below. Raise Hell!
-Josh Biringer
New Jersey Devils Blogger • 
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