New Jersey Devils: 5 Players Losing Waiver Exempt Status
By Nick Villano
Kevin Bahl
This one seems pretty set. While Kevin Bahl hasn’t had the same success as Mercer, he did prove he could handle an NHL spot. Bahl played 11 games in the playoffs, and he played his style of hockey. He only had one point, but he used his physicality to make a presence. The Devils needed him to play well, and for the most part, he did.
Next season, Bahl is close to a lock to make the opening night roster. His waiver status probably makes him a lock. There’s no way the Devils would risk losing Bahl on waivers, even if he has a tremendously terrible preseason. The Devils would use him as a seventh defender in the owner’s box before he could play for another team without proper compensation.
The left side of the Devils defense looks like it could be Bahl, Jonas Siegenthaler, and Luke Hughes to start next season. All showed great promise, and it gives the Devils a left side with players aged 26, 22, and 19.
The one strange situation is that Bahl is a restricted free agent this offseason. He still needs to sign with the Devils before he can guarantee his spot on this roster. That will probably happen pretty quickly, but we never know.