The New Jersey Devils need to get serious about the Jesper Bratt contract.
The New Jersey Devils continue to be involved in the conversation about one of their big restricted free agents. Jesper Bratt has evolved into a really good player after being a 6th-round pick in 2016. He isn’t a superstar or anything, but he deserves a shot at the top six. If the team is good, maybe he falls into a middle-six pairing, but the point is the Devils need him in camp. It is getting serious now as the season is about a week away from starting.
Bratt’s situation is a little bit different than some of the other RFA’s that are still out there or recently signed. He is not currently in North America as he is in Sweden. In order to obtain a work visa, he needs to have his contract with the Devils signed. Then, he will have to go through standard COVID-19 protocols so the chances of him being there on Opening Night are slim.
They could, however, figure something out to get him there early enough. The days before the season are dwindling but you never know how it could happen. One thing that we do know is that the New Jersey Devils should be putting all of their time, energy, and resources into Jesper Bratt’s contract. He is right on the verge of breaking out and some of his potential linemates could really benefit from having him there. The idea of him missing a single game is devastating, but it sounds inevitable at this point.
It doesn’t sound like anything is close between the two sides at this point which is very concerning. Elliotte Friedman and David Pagnota both confirmed this online earlier today. Friedman put in his “31 Thoughts” blog along with some thoughts on the details. Pagnota sent out a tweet stating some of the same exact things.
As of right now, it doesn't sound like a deal between the Devils and RFA Jesper Bratt is close. Could certainly change with 1 phone call though. Bratt is still in Sweden and can't obtain a working visa to enter the US until he signs.
— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) January 5, 2021
Bratt is one of the best players to come out of his 2016 draft class. Only Alex DeBrincat of the Chicago Blackhawks (a second-round pick) has more points from that draft of players drafted outside the first round. He’s not too bad for a sixth-round pick. He is certainly better than Michael McLeod who was drafted five rounds ahead of him.
As both Friedman and Pagnota mentioned, Bratt’s deal isn’t close but anything can change with one phone call. The Devils need to be grinding to get this done, especially because he needs to come over to North America the second it is finalized. Hopefully, this gets done sooner than later.