New Jersey Devils: Jesper Bratt Point Prediction For 2018-19 Season

Over the next few weeks, Pucks and Pitchforks will release their points predictions for every starting player on the New Jersey Devils main roster. Today, we predict what Jesper Bratt will do in his second year.

Jesper Bratt was the surprise of last season. Even more surprising than Taylor Hall‘s MVP campaign, Nico Hischier‘s stellar rookie year and Brian Gibbons inexplicably spending the entire season on the roster. Bratt made the roster one year after getting drafted in the sixth round of the NHL Draft.

Bratt was stellar in the first half of the year. He scored 10 points in his first month as a pro, and looked like yet another Ray Shero steal. He fell off a little bit in his second month, but still scored three goals, as he did in December.

Bratt was well on his way to at least a 20 goal season, and looked like the secondary scoring threat the team needed. Then, he hit one of the worst rookie walls you’ve seen in your life. Bratt was a teenager the entire season, turning 20 this offseason. The most games he ever played for one team in a season was 48. Last season, the Devils asked him to play 74 regular season games. He just ran out of steam.

This season, he’ll have his legs much better than he did last season. If he is the same player he was coming in to last season, then he will at least be able to hold stead into the new year.

So, where does that leave Bratt this season? Honestly, everything has to do with where the Devils decide to put him as far as lines go. The latest lineup has Bratt on the second line with Pavel Zacha and Marcus Johansson. That’s an interesting line, but those are three players with something to prove this offseason. Zacha may need this season too much to put him on a line with another question mark.

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Bratt spent a little time with the top line, but that wasn’t going to last. Kyle Palmieri is the man for that spot. Bratt could find himself on any line at any time this season. That could end up affecting his point total, but I’d expect Bratt to overall have a better and more consistent season this year.

Goals: 17
Assists: 23
Points: 40

Bratt still won’t hit the 20 goal plateau, because he will need one more season of conditioning, but he will be a very productive offensive player. Personally, the way the lines are looking right now, I think he settles in on the third line with Travis Zajac and Miles Wood. That line sounds like the perfect storm of speed, skill and veteran intellect.

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