New Jersey Devils: 5 Prospects Who Benefit From Selling At NHL Trade Deadline

Kevin Bahl, D (CHL)

The New Jersey Devils haven’t had a defensive prospect—or player for that matter—like Kevin Bahl in quite some time (if ever). Aside from Arizona’s 2020 first-round pick, Bahl was the most intriguing prospect in the return for Taylor Hall.

Drafted 55th overall in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, Bahl (like the two aforementioned defensemen in this piece) will more than likely start the 2020-21 season in the AHL or New Jersey, and could benefit from the anticipated departures of Greene and Vatanen. While Walsh and Smith are expectedly superior (skill-wise) to Bahl, the towering defenseman might have two distinct advantages over both blue liners—his size and playing style.

Smith and Walsh are both speedy, undersized defenders with a lot of offensive prowess in their game, so you can argue they’re essentially two of the same. These qualities are always essential to have on defense, but too many of the same player type amplifies any of their overlapping shortcomings, whose effects during games might encroach on the backend as a whole. Bahl is a behemoth defensive defenseman with a long reach who can use his stature to win battles in corners, clear out the front of the net, and is opportunistically physical—elements that Smith and Reilly don’t necessarily specialize in or are largely absent from their game.