Jesper Bratt was one of the biggest surprises for the New Jersey Devils. Despite his great play early, his play as of late may have him sitting for the rest of the season.
The New Jersey Devils have been a headline maker all season long. The stories coming out of this locker room could fill the front page for days. Taylor Hall had one of the best point streaks in all of our lives when he scored a point in 26 straight games played. Brian Gibbons was a career AHL’er who was leading the team in goals well into November. Nico Hischier was the first overall pick who was leading the team at the 1C position.
We could go on and on and on, but still one of the best stories still came with a former sixth-round pick that somehow made the roster as a teenager.
Jesper Bratt is a story you don’t see very often. The 162nd overall pick in the 2016 draft may have never seen the NHL ice. A flier at best, the Devils signed him to a three-year deal last offseason. He was a player with a lot of skill, but nobody really expected him to make an impact, at least not right now.
Then he hit the ice. In the preseason, he scored five points in four games, and was a team leading +6. He was an absolute playmaker on the right wing. A position that was Kyle Palmieri and everyone else now had someone to fill that major hole.
Bratt found himself surprisingly making the Opening Night roster, beating out first-round picks Mike McLeod (who to be fair was injured) and John Quenneville. It did not take him long to show he belonged.
He scored six points in his first three games of the season, all Devils wins. He ended his first month with ten points and found himself on a line with Hischier and Hall. He continued contributing through various Devils injuries, helping the team stay relevant in the standings. Bratt ended December with 24 points on the season.
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2018 has not been as kind to Jesper Bratt. After a decent January with seven points, he’s fallen off a cliff. He had just two assists in all of February, and March hasn’t been much better.
He’s been in and out of the lineup for the past month, and on Thursday he may have been benched for good. The Devils are starting to get healthy with the season coming to an end. Patrick Maroon and Miles Wood are back on the ice, and there just isn’t room for Bratt on the ice. Add that Marcus Johansson could be back from his second concussion soon, and it’s likely that Bratt’s season is over, barring another injury.
It was a magical season for Bratt. He’s definitely part of the future of this franchise. He just hit the rookie wall. There are very few players who can do what Hischier is doing. Bratt has never played more than 48 games in a season. He has 72 games in this season so far. Next year, he will be used to the grind. He can take a full offseason to prepare for next year. This season, however, it’s time for him to sit back and watch.