Kevin Bahl

July 2024 – Bahl was traded to the Calgary Flames in the deal that brought Jakob Markstrom to the Devils. The 6’6 defenseman is a highly physical player with a good IQ. Calgary likes defensemen with size and strength, so he will likely get a much larger opportunity in a friendlier environment with the Flames. Austin Kelly

March 2022 – Bahl got another five-game stint in the NHL, remaining pointless in that span and not showing much offensive progress in the minors either with his 15 points in 49 games. If he carves out a role at the next level, it’ll likely be as a role player as he uses his frame and long stick effectively in board battles. Third pair and second penalty-kill unit is the prognosis so far in his career, with some time ahead of him to right the ship at 21 years of age. Hadi Kalakeche

October 2020 – After finishing his junior career with a loaded Ottawa 67’s team (Jack Quinn (2020) and Marco Rossi (2020) being the main offensive contributors), Bahl is set to join Binghamton full-time, where he’ll put his big frame to the test against older, more experienced forwards. Bahl’s offensive potential is limited; having played most of the year with D Noel Hoefenmayer (ARZ, 82 points in 58 games) while only putting up 31 points in his final junior year indicates how far Bahl is from being an NHL-ready blue-liner offensively. What worries me most is the fact that the only thing that stands out about his game is his size. Bahl is showing more and more that he is closer to Jamie Oleksiak or even Jarred Tinordi than Tyler Myers in terms of the ceiling. Hadi Kalakeche

March 2020 – Bahl enjoyed another nice season for the Ottawa 67’s of the OHL with six goals and 31 points in just 54 games. His skating is better than most expect from such a tall defenseman. His ability to chip in offensively is underrated as well. His shot from the point could be a major asset as he moves up in levels.  Chris Wassel 

December 2019 – Bahl has been traded from Arizona to New Jersey as part of the Taylor Hall deal.  Jokke Nevalainen

October 2019 – Bahl played very well for Canada at the 2019 World Junior Summer Showcase and is expected to make the main team for the 2020 tournament coming in a couple months. In the meantime, Bahl was impressive in the Coyotes rookie tournament and has gotten off to a solid start offensively in his last year of juniors, scoring two goals and four points in nine games. Keith Duggan

March 2019- The Coyotes have signed their 2018 second-round pick to a entry-level contract. Bahl wanted to bring more offense to his game and showed that this season, scoring six goals and 34 points in 68 games. That was more than his two previous campaign’s combined. While it was great to see his game growing, Bahl still seems more of a defensive defenseman who won’t contribute much offense at the NHL level. Keith Duggan

August 2018- At 6-6 and 230 lbs, Kevin Bahl is a large man. He’s also expected to grow maybe another inch or so along with putting on some more weight and muscle on his growing body. Ten years ago you could make a strong case Bahl would have easily been a first round pick. Instead with the NHL all about mobile, quick transition defenseman now, he slipped to the Coyotes in the second round of the 2018 draft. That’s not to say Bahl is a big lug on the ice basically there to take up space. He’s an excellent skater and has good mobility for a big man. Bahl worked with former Coyotes skating coach Dawn Braid and admits she had a huge influence on him. Playing for the Ottawa 67’s the past two seasons he’s never really racked up the points though. Bahl finished last year with a line of 1-17-18, and although he has shown improvements offensively, it really isn’t part of his game. He admits it’s a weakness for him and said it’s something he’ll work on this summer and coming season. In the meantime, Bahl is one of the premier shutdown defenders in the OHL and his calm nature was a steadying influence on Ottawa’s blue line. With several smaller, puck moving defenseman in the Coyotes system, Bahl is a perfect compliment to them. Unfortunately, fantasy wise Bahl doesn’t offer much other than in deep leagues that count stats like hits, blocked shots and penalty minutes. Keith Duggan