New Jersey Devils: Jesper Bratt and Mackenzie Blackwood Deserve Contracts

The New Jersey Devils need to get their RFA’s contracts before the season begins.

It sounds like the New Jersey Devils are finally going to get to play. The National Hockey League is (reportedly) going to get its league started in mid-January and camps are going to begin not long after the holiday season is over. It is an exciting time for Devils fans because we haven’t seen our team play since March. When they get going, of course, they need to make sure that all of their players are there and ready to go.

After a year like 2020, nobody wants to see anyone miss any training camp because of contractual issues. Jesper Bratt and Mackenzie Blackwood are both RFA’s that don’t have contracts right now. They are still waiting to come to terms on new contracts with the Devils as they wait for the 2021 season to begin. Those are two extremely important players so getting them all signed up and ready to go is a top priority right now.

Bratt is a 22-year-old player that has come into the league and surprised everyone. As a teenager, 6th round picks aren’t supposed to make it to the NHL. Bratt is an awesome story and now he is a player that the Devils will enjoy having on their roster for a long time. Of every player taken in the 2016 NHL Draft, Jesper Bratt is the second leading scorer (Alex DeBrincat) of any player taken in the second round or later.

Blackwood came into the NHL with mixed expectations. He was there when Cory Schneider and Keith Kinkaid were running the show in goal. He has been really good and looks like he can even be a number one. The Devils brought in Corey Crawford to help him for two years but after that, we can be confident in Blackwood’s abilities. He is even looking like a guy who could be on Team Canada’s roster for future Olympic tournaments.

All of those things that these guys have already accomplished are awesome for players who haven’t even been in the league that long. COVID-19 has a lot to do with why they don’t have their contracts done but it is getting near the time that they should do it. Camps are going to begin soon and teams who didn’t make the bubble might start even earlier than those who did. Hopefully, the Devils are able to work something out with Bratt and Blackwood really soon.