New Jersey Devils: Jesper Bratt’s Injury Could Lead To Opportunity

The New Jersey Devils might have an injury to deal with in Jesper Bratt but that could just lead to an opportunity for someone to step up.

The New Jersey Devils had an impressive win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night. The win, however, didn’t come without a price. They lost Jesper Bratt to an upper-body injury during the game and he didn’t return to the action. They fear he might be out for a while and that could be a big hit to the team. So far in 11 games this season, he has three goals and two assists. He has an even rating and 12 shots on goal to go with it. As a former 6th-round draft pick, he has been a great depth scorer for New Jersey.

This is obviously bad news for New Jersey, but it is an opportunity for someone to come in and step up. In the game against Carolina, Nikita Gusev and John Hayden were healthy scratches while Jesper Boqvist got back in the lineup. Gusev and Hayden are the two likely candidates to replace Bratt in the lineup.

Gusev seems to be the better fit to replace Bratt as you would be replacing an offensive-minded player with another offensive-minded player. Hayden doesn’t contribute much offensively at all, so that wouldn’t necessarily be the smartest replacement for Bratt. Bratt was consistently playing with Nico Hischier and Pavel Zacha so it will be interesting to see how coach John Hynes constructs the lines in Bratt’s absence.

Gusev is a playmaker who also can score some goals but his defensive game has been an issue since making his debut in the NHL. He should come in and be a part of the top-nine and break out as a player that can contribute to the team in a positive way. This is a great opportunity for him to come into the lineup and make an impact. If that is the case, he could warrant staying in the lineup for the rest of the season. Whatever they decide will go into effect against the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night.