At long last, Jesper Bratt and the Devils make a long term commitment to each other and it’s a great deal for both sides.
In the last two years, Jesper Bratt has proven to be an to tier player in the NHL, putting up 146 points in 158 games. Bratt has proven to be a key piece of a core that has the potential to compete for the cup for the next decade. Now with Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, and Dougie Hamilton all signed through at least 2028, the Devils immediate future looks as bright as any team in the league.
8 years at an average annual value of 7.87 million dollars for a player that at just 24 years of age has proven himself to be an all star caliber player is a fantastic deal for the Devils. Early in his career Bratt showed flashed of elite play but was very hot and cold and struggled to put it together consistently. In the last two years, Bratt has put it all together and proven himself to be a fantastic NHL player. Bratt’s skating agility is right up there with anyone in the league and his passign and shooting accuracy have reached an elite level in the last two seasons. He has shown to have chemistry with both Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes, the Devils top two centers. Keeping the core of a young successful team together is paramount to building a consistent winner and that is exactly what Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald is doing. The Devils were the third best team in the regular season and won a playoff round for the first time in over a decade last season. With most of the core locked up for years to come, that looks like only the first step on the road to dominance for Jersey’s Team. Meanwhile, from Bratt’s point of view, he gets paid 63 million dollars over the next eight years while also getting a chance to win the cup in each of those years! Great deal for both sides.
Bratt was the Devils 6th round pick in 2016 and is arguably the best NHL draft steal of the last decade. Despite being picked 162 overall, Bratt has the 7th most points in his draft class. Building through the draft is important and the Devils acquired one of the most important players on a cup contending team in the sixth round of the draft. That is incredible. If you can get a 4th liner in the 6th round, that is a good deal. To get a consistent 70 point winger that deep in the draft is unheard of. Ray Shero was fired by the Devils in early 2020, but this pick alone puts him as one of the best GM’s of his generation. Keeping Bratt a Devil for eight more years further cements Tom Fitzgerald as one of the best GM’s in the game today.
In other big Devils news, the team is still working on bringing back Timo Meier. Meier is a restricted free agent and the Devils have elected to take him to salary arbitration while they continue to work on a long term deal. Not good or bad news really because there is still plenty of time to work out a deal before the case is heard by a third party. However if no long term deal is made the Devils could be put in the less than ideal position of keeping Meier on just a one year deal, with Meier becoming an unrestricted free agent at the end of next season. However we have to trust Tom Fitzgerald because he is great at what he does. He can find a way to make Meier happy and keep him as a Devil for a long time. It’s not even July yet but witht he Severson trade and this Bratt extension, the Devils have already had a solid off season and I cant wait to see what other magic Tom Fitzgerald can pull off to make this team even better.
The Morning Skate 