New Jersey Devils: Nathan Bastian’s Future Is Purely Uncertain
New Jersey Devils prospect Nathan Bastian didn’t prove much this past season, despite having a really good 2018-19. Now, we’re not sure where he’s going to end up.
When the
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to the Buffalo Sabres for a low return, one of the silv
Brian Boyle type that was crucial in the current Devils system. Bastian had 20-goal upside while being a tough force in the middle.
This is a kid with a great head on his shoulders, but we thought he had a chance to make the team this season. After scoring three goals in seven games a year ago, it looked like there was a really good player in the making.
On September 27th, the Devils cut Bastian and his friend and draft mate Michael McLeod from the NHL roster, sending them both back to Binghamton. John Hynes chose “more experienced” guys like Kevin Rooney and John Hayden over Bastian for a bottom six role.
This season, Bastian took a step in the right direction towards the end of the season. In the first 40 games of this season, he had just eight goals and 22 points. In the following 22 games, he added another eight goals and eight assists, putting his total at a much more acceptable 38 points in 62 games, which includes 16 goals. Things looked like they were coming off the rails at the beginning of the season, as with most of the B-Devils, but he became a huge reason Binghamton turns it around.
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So, where will Bastian be moving forward? Do the Devils have plans for him to be in the NHL sooner rather than later, or does he need yet more seasoning?
Of all the Devils prospects, Bastian has the most pressing questions that need to be answered. Obviously, Michael McLeod is the prospect were most worried about. Jesper Boqvist is the player with the most upside, and there are some players in juniors that can go in a myriad of directions. Yet, when we look at next season, even with multiple openings, it doesn’t appear Bastian has a fit.
He seems like a player that deserves a real shot in the NHL, but who is Bastian jumping over? He won’t play over Boqvist, and before the coronavirus shut down the NHL, the Devils were committed to giving a true look at McLeod. Then, there’s the players the Devils are going to take at possibly 6, 10 and maybe even 17 that could get a big look in the preseason (although they all likely go to their respective minor leagues).
Bastian seems like he has to wait his turn yet again. That turn may never come, or maybe they find a spot for him as the big body they need in the bottom six. Literally anything can happen with Bastian next season. He could be a huge part of the team’s future, or he could be another talent that runs out of room. We see a bright future for the kid, especially since he’s still just 22 years old, but if he has to wait another year in the minors, he’ll get towards the end of his rope.