BLOG: Nathan Bastian Signs Two-Year Contract

Weeks after completing his first full NHL season, New Jersey Devil Nathan Bastian has agreed to a new two-year contract with the club. Bastian was a Restricted Free Agent. His new deal is for a total of $1,650,000, earning $775,000 during the 2021-22 season, and $875,000 in the 2022-23 season.
Bastian, 23, is coming off a year of personal success, embracing his role as one of 11 rookies to play for New Jersey this past season. He appeared in 41 games scoring three goals and seven assists, while he established himself as a player head coach Lindy Ruff could rely on during the penalty kill and defending a lead in the final minutes of a game.

"Most nights we were playing against top lines," Bastian shared in May during exit interviews. "At the end of games, if we're up, defending a 6-on-5, our line is probably out there. Earning that respect from your coach is everything.
"I started to feel as the year went on gaining the respect of your teammates and the respect of your coach. You wake up one day and feel like an NHLer."
His 136 hits led the entire Devils team, while also ranking him second in the NHL among rookies in that category, clocking in two behind Montreal's Alexander Romanov, who appeared in 12 more games.
"I think if you told me coming into the year, I'd be a regular, I'd say that's a success for me," Bastian said.
And that success has now translated into a new contract with the team that drafted him in the second round (41st overall) in 2016.
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