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New Jersey Devils Finally Re-Sign Jesper Bratt To Great Contract

By Nick Villano

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - MARCH 06: Jesper Bratt #63 of the New Jersey Devils celebrates his goal against the St. Louis Blues at 8:38 of the first period at the Prudential Center on March 06, 2020 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - MARCH 06: Jesper Bratt #63 of the New Jersey Devils celebrates his goal against the St. Louis Blues at 8:38 of the first period at the Prudential Center on March 06, 2020 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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After missing training camp, Jesper Bratt agreed to a two-year deal with the New Jersey Devils.

The New Jersey Devils have been waiting to put together a full lineup with the absence of Nico Hischier, the holdout of Jesper Bratt, and the sudden retirement of goalie Corey Crawford. It’s been a tumultuous training camp for the Devils, but one of those issues has been resolved as of Sunday evening.

https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1348404291028049920

The Devils signed Bratt to a two-year deal worth an average annual value of $2.75 million. The Swedish winger is still in his home country because NHL players are not allowed to travel under visa rules within the United States. It’s unfortunate he can’t walk into camp like Mat Barzal did with the New York Islanders, but it’s huge that the contract is signed, sealed, and delivered.

The contract is a very good deal for both sides. It’s clear the Devils wanted to put a number on Bratt for a long time, but it’s clear Bratt thinks he can earn himself more money in the future. So, the Devils gave in a let Bratt sign for two years.

Bratt is 22 years old, and he should slide right into the team’s top line or second line when he returns. That gives Nico Hischier or Jack Hughes a quality forward they won’t have to start the season.

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Bratt’s deal is comparable to Miles Wood‘s, which shows where the Devils were at with his value. He’s yet to break 40 points in a season, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. He needs to find consistency, which is probably what pushed him to the 6th round of the NHL Draft in the first place. However, he’s shown moments of dominance.

He had 16 points in the last 20 games of last season. He was absolutely on fire when the season ended. He’s going to look to get back to that scoring streak when he returns to the lineup. As of right now, the best guess is he’d play alongside Hischier and maybe new forward Andreas Johnsson. It all depends on if players build chemistry to start the season.

The Devils should have gotten this deal done a lot earlier. There’s no real excuse. However, it’s a good job by the Devils to make sure this deal got done before the season started. Also, and this probably is just a coincidence, but to get something to perk up the fanbase right after Corey Crawford retired is a bonus.

The Devils got a good deal for Bratt, and he will still be a restricted free agent at the end of the contract. He will be motivated to get paid. Hopefully, that leads to the best Jesper Bratt we’ve seen coming this season.

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