New Jersey Devils: Tier Four Could Give Some Good NHLers

The New Jersey Devils could get some good pros out of tier four.

We have gone over all of the early tiers so far from the New Jersey Devils 2020-21 Prospect Pyramid. A lot of talented players are at the top of the pyramid, but there might be some hidden gems in tier four. Tier four is for players who could be solid NHL players but don’t have the ceiling of an NHL star as of now. Of course, anything could change but the Devils have some solid players in tier four.

For now, Kevin Bahl, Shakir Mukhamadullin, Nick Merkley, Fabian Zetterlund, Nathan Bastian, and Mikael Maltsev make up the tier for New Jersey. There are a few big bodies in there that can play physically and there is also a lot of potential for some skill in there as well.

Kevin Bahl is probably the most intriguing name of the bunch. He was acquired in the trade that sent Taylor Hall to the Arizona Coyotes. It was a big deal for the Devils to acquire him as he was one of the top prospects in the Arizona organization. He doesn’t have as high of a ceiling as you would expect in a prospect coming back for Hall, but his floor seems to be pretty good. If he can come in and be a big, mean, and physical defenseman, the Devils will benefit.

Shakir Mukhamadullin was certainly a surprising 1st-round pick for the Devils in 2020. It isn’t a name that was on anyone’s radar when he was taken. COVID-19 might have allowed him to come up the ranks because we got to see him play in the KHL before the draft. Either way, we have to hope that the young defenseman can develop into something nice.

Nick Merkley, like Bahl, came back to New Jersey in the Taylor Hall trade. He is a pretty good forward who could be a middle-six winger one day. He plays right wing which is something the Devils are sorely in need of. He made it in four Devils games before the pause where he scored a goal and had an assist for two points.

Nathan Bastian has been with the organization for a long time. He started off hot when he made his NHL debut but he has been back and forth between the NHL and AHL. The only issue with him is that some more skilled players seem to have passed him up in the organization. He still has a chance to be a good bottom-six player but there is work to do. A lot of people see him as a personal favorite because he is fun to watch and plays hard.

Like Bastian, both Fabian Zetterlund and Mikael Maltsev have been in the organization for a while. They are both good players, but at this point, we don’t know if either of them is ever going to be full-time NHL players. As of now, we can only hope that some of these guys are able to reach their ceiling and be impact players.