Yesterday, the Devils opted to non-tender several players, including winger Nathan Bastian, to avoid the risk of them filing for salary arbitration. It appears as least one of them will be sticking around as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that all signs point to Bastian remaining with New Jersey. PuckPedia reports he’s signed a two-year deal worth $1.35MM per season.
The 25-year-old dealt with a shoulder injury last season that limited him to just 43 games. However, Bastian still managed to have his second-best season offensively, notching six goals and nine assists. In the playoffs, he picked up a goal and an assist in 12 contests.
Of course, Bastian is more known for his physicality. After putting up nearly 200 hits in 2021-22, he managed 99 more last season despite missing nearly half the year. Between that and a serviceable offensive ability, Bastian has carved out a role for himself as a capable fourth liner in the NHL.
Bastian’s qualifying offer was just under $920K and it seems reasonable to expect that he will get more than that from New Jersey, assuming this deal becomes finalized. But with 163 games under his belt, he’d have been in line to potentially double that qualifier in arbitration, a price point that the Devils can’t really afford in their cap structure. We should soon see what middle ground they were able to find.