Kevin Bahl's blueline experience more important than ever for Flames

There was never really much doubt that Kevin Bahl was going to be Simon Nemec’s partner.

Ever since Nemec was acquired in June by the Calgary Flames in a blockbuster trade with the New Jersey Devils, it seemed obvious that the two would be paired together.

They’d played a few games as a partnership back in 2023-24 when they were both with the Devils, back before Bahl was part of a huge deal of his own, coming to Calgary in exchange for Jacob Markstrom.

More importantly, though, Bahl’s time in Calgary has mostly been spent with the now-in-Vegas Rasmus Andersson, so Flames management knows he can handle the duties that come with playing with an offensively minded blueliner like Nemec.

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“His mindset is defend first, more than anything,” said Flames head coach Ryan Huska. “He thinks that part of the game well. His size helps, of course, and I think he knows with a certain player he’s paired with, in order for them to do what they do best he has to take a more defensive role.

“He always wants to make sure he’s in a position to be back. I think last year we saw him become a more physical guy and I thought he jumped into the offence at various times last year. That’s all part of his growth, but I think he’s geared more towards being a defence, check-first guy, which allows us to play offensive players with him.”

All of that makes Bahl one of the more important players on the Flames roster. In Nemec and Zayne Parekh , the Flames have two defencemen who like to jump up into the rush and create plays. They can only do that if they have someone beside them who can provide cover, and while it may not be the most headline-grabbing role, Bahl has shown to be adept at that job.

He also knows all about Nemec’s game, more than probably anyone else in Calgary.