The New Jersey Devils are preparing to face the Seattle Kraken on Thursday night. Nathan Bastian is preparing for a very special night.
Nathan Bastian has been out for over two months with a shoulder injury. He left the ice after just his third shift against the Washington Capitals on November 26th. Since then, the Devils bottom six hasn’t looked the same. Michael McLeod and Miles Wood, Bastian’s linemates, look very out of place with Bastian on the shelf.
The Devils got good news on Wednesday, and it looks like Bastian will return to the lineup on Thursday. Ironically, the game is in Seattle, the only other place Bastian ever called home.
The Seattle Kraken claimed Bastian in the expansion draft, but he was placed on waivers after just 12 games there. We spoke to him before he was claimed, and he sounded excited to be in Seattle. However, after speaking with him earlier this season, he told our Dan Rice that he was happy to be back.
"“I think about it more than you would probably think. I’m so grateful to be back (in New Jersey).” — Nathan Bastian"
One doesn’t have to explain Bastian’s importance to the team. The bottom six has been struggling in all aspects of the game since he got hurt. From the start of the season until Bastian’s injury, McLeod, Wood, and Bastian were fifth, sixth, and seventh in points on the team. Since Bastian’s injury, McLeod and Wood are ninth and tenth on the team in points. Wood is actually tied with three defensemen with six points in that time.
The Devils have been changing lines constantly since Bastian’s injury. The bottom six is never solidified because it always feels like something is missing. That something is returning to the lineup on Thursday.
Hopefully, Bastian’s return kickstarts the bottom six. We saw some inklings of that when Dawson Mercer had a breakout performance against the Carolina Hurricanes before adding two more assists on this California trip. Erik Haula looked better after he came off Hughes’ line. Even Jesper Boqvist looks better as of late. With Bastian returning, the Devils are in good shape to take a huge step forward offensively.