Why Dustin Wolf Should Be In The Calder Trophy Conversation The NHL holiday break is over but we're still looking at each and every member of the Calgary Flames, and what their season has been like so far. Today, we're profiling Kevin Bahl. There are no grades — this isn't high school — but these quick-and-dirty glimpses into their season illustrate where they're at ahead of the calendar flip from 2024 to 2025. Name: Kevin Bahl Position: Defenseman Stats: 1 goal, 11 assists, 12 pts., Even plus/minus, 1 PPG, 42 SOG, 2.4 SH% Summary: When the Calgary Flames traded veteran goaltender Jacob Markstrom to the New Jersey Devils in June, the primary return was thought to be the 2025 first-round draft pick. However, the inclusion of defenseman Kevin Bahl was a steal that has had an immediate impact [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-jersey-devils/players/calgary-flames-gm-conroy-on-former-devil-we-had-identified-kevin-bahl-as-a-priority-player]. The 24-year-old has been so impressive in his second NHL season, he may be the biggest surprise of the Flames season so far — at least on the positive side of things. At 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds, Bahl's imposing physical presence was well-known, but his rapid development into a top-pairing defenseman alongside Rasmus Andersson [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/calgary-flames/latest-news/why-the-calgary-flames-are-unlikely-to-trade-top-defenseman] is one of the reasons the Flames have been so competitive through the first half of the year. Bahl has seized the opportunity to play significant minutes, consistently matching up against the opposition's top offensive threats. Exceeding expectations offensively as well [https://www.nhl.com/flames/player/kevin-bahl-8480860], Bahl has shown a Nikita Zadorov-like ability to join a rush with surprising speed and agility. Bahl's physicality is evident in his 151 hits and 103 blocked shots, and his average ice time has increased to more than 20 minutes per game — indicating head coach Ryan Huska's trust in his abilities during critical situations. The chemistry between Bahl and Andersson has been instrumental in stabilizing Calgary's defense [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/calgary-flames/latest-news/in-their-defence-calgary-flames-back-end-proving-capable-of-pressure] after losing three of their top six blueliners before last year's NHL trade deadline. Their complementary styles — Bahl's physicality and stay-at-home approach paired with Andersson's puck-moving skills — have provided the Flames with a formidable top pairing capable of shutting down elite opponents while threatening to score themselves. Flames GM Craig Conroy should be proud of that trade and excited to have a young core player [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/calgary-flames/latest-news/calgary-flames-core-four-under-24-building-confidence] providing a foundation for the back end [https://puckpedia.com/team/calgary-flames]for years to come. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjExNDI4NzY0NzEyNzA3MjMx/thncgybanner-bookmark.png]
