The defenseman signed a contract worth $2,100,000.
NEWARK, N.J. -- After the New Jersey Devils tendered a qualifying offer to Kevin Bahl on June 30, the six-foot-six defenseman signed a two-year contract worth $2,100,000 with an annual average value of $1,050,000. General manager Tom Fitzgerald announced the signing on Monday morning.
Bahl is coming off a career season where he appeared in 42 games and tallied eight points (two goals, six assists). After making the roster out of training camp, he spent the 2022-23 season as the team's sixth/seventh defenseman with veteran Brendan Smith. He earned the first fighting major of his career on Dec. 28, 2022, when he -dropped the gloves with Boston Bruins forward Trent Frederic.
Bahl made his playoff debut on April 18 versus the New York Rangers. In a one-on-one interview, he reflected on his postseason experience.
"The most exciting part for me was, I don't know how many seats we got here, but there were (thousands) of fans screaming. I couldn't even hear myself think. It was just amazing," he said. "I was excited to get that intensity back up. To get back into a game where it's 110% intensity like you're fighting for your lives against the other guys. It was fun to be in that, for sure."
During Fitzgerald's media availability on June 28, he spoke about the departure of 26-year-old Ryan Graves and how they believe Bahl can fill the void that Graves has left.
"(When you) look at our (blue line), we (can) potentially lose Graves, but the pecking order now happens with Bahl. Can Bahl replace him? We think he can. We think his upside is going to be high."
Bahl will round out the team's defensive core for the 2023-24 season. He will join Dougie Hamilton, Jonas Siegenthaler, John Marino, Luke Hughes, Colin Miller, and Brendan Smith.