New Jersey Devils place Nathan Bastian on IR

Bastian, 26, suffered an injury during Thursday’s game against the New York Rangers after being on the receiving end of two big hits. Two minutes after puck drop, he got hit high by Matt Rempe, which resulted in him bleeding on the ice and requiring him to go to the dressing room. Bastian’s next shift wasn’t until the second period, where he then ended up taking another hit from Jacob Trouba, who he then tried to fight. He got one more shift in the game before the end of the second period, and did not return for the third.

There’s no indication as to how long Bastian will be out, but his placement on injured reserve likely means that it won’t be a short-term recovery.

Bastian has had a solid season for New Jersey, as he has 5 goals and 7 assists for 12 points in 54 games. If not for his current injury, he would have been on pace for 17 points this season, which would have been a career-high for him.

Bastian was a second-round pick of the New Jersey Devils in the 2016 NHL Draft, playing for the Devils for two seasons before the Seattle Kraken selected him in the expansion draft in 2021. After just 12 games with the Kraken, he was placed on waivers, where he was then claimed by the Devils and has since spent his career with.

Bastian is currently in the first year of a two-year contract with a $1.35 million cap hit, one he signed with the Devils as a restricted free agent on the first day of free agency in 2023.

In response to Bastian’s injury, the Devils also announced that they’ve recalled Brian Halonen from their AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets. Halonen has 13 goals and 4 assists for 17 points in 21 games with the Comets this season.

The Devils currently sit in fifth in the Metropolitan Division with a 28-24-4 record, which is five points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. New Jersey will look to bounce back from back-to-back losses when they host the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday at 2 p.m. EST.