Devils sign forward Nathan Bastian to two-year deal

Nathan Bastian clearly impressed the New Jersey Devils during his first full NHL season with the club. 

On Tuesday, New Jersey general manager Tom Fitzgerald announced the team has signed the right wing who was set to be a restricted free agent to a new two-year contract. Bastian will earn $775,000 next season and then $875,000 for the following campaign. 

The 23-year-old made his NHL debut in January 2019 and, according to the team's website, led the Devils with 136 hits during the 2020-21 season. Bastian also accumulated three goals and seven assists for the rebuilding Devils that finished the year in seventh place in the NHL East Division standings. 

The Devils selected Bastian in the second round of the 2016 NHL Draft, and he completed multiple stints with the franchise's American Hockey League affiliate in Binghamton from 2017-18 to the 2019-20 season. Across 48 career NHL regular-season contests, he's notched six goals and seven assists. 

As John Fischer noted for All About the Jersey, Tuesday's development could lead to the Devils leaving Bastian exposed for the upcoming Seattle Kraken expansion draft.