New Jersey Devils extend Kevin Bahl for two years

The bruising 23-year-old is likely to take on a bigger role moving forward, especially on the penalty kill.

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The New Jersey Devils took care of their final bit of off-season housekeeping on Monday morning, signing Kevin Bahl to a two-year contract extension.

Bahl’s deal carries a very affordable cap hit of $1.05 million. He will earn $900K in 2023-24 before jumping to $1.2 million for the 2024-25 season, setting himself up for a higher qualifying offer when the time comes.

Bahl’s extension was the last thing Tom Fitzgerald had to do this summer. That’s not to say the Devils are absolutely done and won’t make any other transactions – only that the roster is more than adequately set if the right opportunity doesn’t present itself.

But back to Bahl! He put together a strong season with the Devils, garnering a +4 goal differential at 5v5 while helping the Devils control better than 58% of the expected goal share.

He primarily skated alongside Damon Severson on the 3rd pairing, absolutely feasting on opposing depth units.

In 262 minutes against bottom-tier competition, Bahl posted a 55.10 CF% and +5 goal differential. Very good numbers.

While he was at his best in that role, Bahl did show some range to his game. He spent a handful of games alongside Dougie Hamilton on the ‘top’ pairing and held his own in that time.

The Devils controlled nearly 58% of the shot attempts, 56% of the expected goals, and out-scored opponents 6-4. Yeah, Bahl should garner strong results while playing with a talent like Hamilton. It’s still encouraging that he did.