The Dallas Stars are bringing additional depth into the fold. Today, the club signed Nathan Bastian to a one-year, one-way contract at $750,000. Bastian scored 10 points in 59 regular season games with the New Jersey Devils last season, appearing in five postseason games as well.
The Devils selected Bastian with the 41st overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft. He’s played 276 regular season games: 264 with the Devils and 12 with the Seattle Kraken.
“Nathan will add forward depth and a physical presence to our lineup, both of which will be valuable to our organization,” said general manager Jim Nill. “We’re looking forward to watching him take the next step of his career with the Stars and are excited to welcome him to Dallas.”
What Bastian Brings to Stars
Bastian is a physical forward. Standing at six-foot-four and weighing 205 lbs, Bastian brings some extra toughness to the Stars’ bottom-six. Bastian has 734 hits since the start of 2018-19. He led all Devils players in hits during that span.
He’s recorded more than 100 hits in four of his last six NHL seasons, fourth in hits among his draft class. The only players to hit more than Bastian from his class are Charlie McAvoy, Matthew Tkachuk and Luke Kunin.
Signing Bastian gives the Stars another depth threat. Bastian isn’t the type that’s going to show up on the score sheet often. He’s known for big hits and grit. He’s the type of player a team slots onto a checking role during a deep playoff run. It remains to be seen whether the Stars will employ him on the team’s starting lineup. He could run as the team’s 13th forward, the first line of defense when injuries arrive.
Dallas Ready for Fresh Start
The Stars, in Nill’s mind, are inches away from their first Stanley Cup since 1999. One of the first actions they took this offseason was firing head coach Peter DeBoer.
“This was very hard,” Nill said. “You stand up here and you’ve been to the third round three years in a row. To sit up here and have to make this decision…but in the end I know what I have to do for the organization. That’s not disrespecting Pete; he’s a great coach, a good man and I respect him so much. But in the end, I have to do what I think is right for the organization moving forward.”
Soon after, Nill rehired former head coach Glen Gulutzan as the Stars’ next head coach. “We are thrilled to name Glen as the head coach of the Dallas Stars,” Nill said. “Since his previous time in Dallas, Glen has worked tirelessly to establish himself as one of the most respected coaches in the NHL. His extensive NHL experience, both as a head coach and assistant coach, speaks to his ability to innovate and adapt to the modern game, as well as build relationships with his players.”
“Glen has worked with some of the best players in the world and continually found ways to maximize their skill sets to contribute to team success. We have full confidence that he is the right person to elevate our team to the next level.”
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