Part two of a four-part series power ranking the New Jersey Devils roster before the start of the season.
We recently began our power rankings of the top 25 players on the New Jersey Devils. Our first part looked at players 25-21. Today we will be covering players 20-16.
Devils Player Power Rankings: 20-16
20. Nathan Bastian
Nathan Bastian has carved himself out a nice role on the Devils since being a second-round pick in 2016. The 25-year-old winger has played all but 12 of his 163 career games in New Jersey. Bastian was selected by the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft before being plucked off of waivers by the Devils last year.
Since solidifying a full-time role with the team in 2020-21, Bastian has become an important fourth-liner for the Devils. His spot in the lineup next to best friend Michael McLeod should be safe, especially after earning a new two-year contract. Despite being a fourth-liner, the Devils had a significantly better record when he was in the lineup than when he wasn’t. They were an incredible 33-7-3 with Bastian in the lineup, according to Statmuse.
Really solid deal for the Devils here on Nathan Bastian who is the exact type of player a good team should go for on their fourth line. pic.twitter.com/Fiqhoy27tf
— dom 📈 (@domluszczyszyn) July 1, 2023
19. Tomas Nosek
Veteran forward Tomas Nosek recently signed with the Devils for one year at $1 million. Nosek has been a model NHLer, playing tough minutes on perennial Stanley Cup contenders. He split the last six seasons between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Boston Bruins and appeared in 52 playoff games during that time.
Despite signing a little later in the summer, expect Nosek to play a big role on the Devils’ fourth line. The competition to fill the hole left by Miles Wood will be one to watch in training camp and you can bet on Nosek to have the inside track. During his time in the league, he has shown he can be a reliable penalty killer and is good on face-offs. Because of his experience and the Devils’ lack of elite penalty killers, Nosek would be the pick to earn that spot next to McLeod and Bastian.
The New Jersey Devils have signed Tomas Nosek to a one-year, $1M contract. Pretty fair deal for both sides in our eyes. Nosek is solid defensive 4th line forward & excellent at PK. pic.twitter.com/ZixAXeRTVg
— Andy & Rono (@ARHockeyStats) July 20, 2023
18. Colin Miller
Amid the craziness on July 1st, the Devils made a trade, bringing in Colin Miller. The veteran defenceman is coming off a nice campaign with the Dallas Stars. Miller had a career year in 2017-18 for the Vegas Golden Knights and was a big part of the success right out of the gate. Since then he’s continued to carve out a nice career as a two-way defenceman.
With the departure of Damn Severson, the Devils needed a right-handed defenceman. Simon Nemec will fill that hole long-term, but next season they need a veteran in that role. Miller will likely lock down the bottom pair on the right side for all of next season. And with Ryan Graves gone as well, they will look at him to give them some penalty kill minutes. He scored 21 points last season, so if he can add similar production from the backend, he can become a very important player for the Devils.
I’ve been preaching for years that the Devils should go after Colin Miller from an eye test perspective. The analysis goes to prove the Devils have many defensive and offensive weapons too on their backend. pic.twitter.com/PgzQdlhod6
— Jersey Joe (Sasquatch Joe) (@JerseyJoe11_NJ) July 22, 2023
17. Kevin Bahl
Last year was Kevin Bahl‘s breakout season in the NHL. He finally found his way into a full-time role during the second half of the 2022-23 season. He had played a handful of games the previous two years but usurped Brendan Smith as the third left-handed defenceman. Bahl’s play was good enough to earn himself a new two-year, $1.05 million contract.
Going into next year Bahl will be the frontrunner for the third pairing spot. During the second half of the season and in the postseason Bahl showed off his physical play and long reach with his massive frame. For a Devils team that is slightly smaller and less physical, they will lean heavily on Bahl to provide that physicality on the backend. Even as a young player, he will surely get significant penalty-killing minutes as well. He may never be a household name, but Kevin Bahl has the chance to be a presence on the Devils bottom pairing for many years.
Kevin Bahl has re-signed with the New Jersey Devils to a two-year deal with an AAV of $1.05M. This is very fair deal for both sides in our eyes. Bahl is good third-pairing defenseman for New Jersey. pic.twitter.com/q7tagZ6tYc
— Andy & Rono (@ARHockeyStats) July 31, 2023
16. Alexander Holtz
After a disappointing 2022-23, Alexander Holtz has breakout potential heading into next year. After being selected seventh overall in 2020, the hype surrounding Holtz has been constantly building. However, he was unable to lock down a spot in the NHL this year and wasn’t sent down to the AHL until much later in the year. Holtz’s first pro year in North America was great. He scored 51 points in 52 games in the AHL and got a taste of NHL action as well. Last year was much different. He scored only nine points in 19 NHL games but did have 11 points in 14 AHL games.
Holtz has a massive opportunity ahead of him this season. With an opening in the middle-six of the lineup, he should be the heavy favourite to take that spot. Holtz is an elite-level shooter with underrated playmaking ability. What’s been holding him back is his skating. If he can show off improved skating during training camp and preseason then that spot is his. There’s an opportunity for him to play significant minutes next to Jack Hughes or Nico Hischier, and if that were to happen then a breakout campaign would be on the horizon.
Main Photo: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
Alexander Holtz SNAPS one home to extend the lead for the @NJDevils! 😈
📺: @NHL_On_TNT ➡️ https://t.co/LaJpv7cBo5 #NHLonTNT pic.twitter.com/u7rYyKo4QF
— NHL (@NHL) January 5, 2023
