The New Jersey Devils got some much needed good news with the Jesper Bratt contract.
The New Jersey Devils have been going through a tough time lately. We haven’t seen Nico Hischier skate because of injury, Corey Crawford retired from the NHL before ever playing a game with the team, and Jesper Bratt hasn’t left Sweden because of his contract status. Well, now one of those issues has been resolved as they signed Jesper Bratt to a two-year deal. It is the definition of a bridge deal as he will most likely look for a long-term deal after that.
Of course, in the meantime, it will be good to have him play this season instead of sitting the whole thing out. This season is clearly more about developing the young players than it is winning the Stanley Cup. Bratt is a big part of that. Although he has been in the league for a few years now, he is still just 22 years old. He has the opportunity to be a great top-six forward, and this season can be very telling.
It isn’t the perfect deal because it wasn’t done a month ago, and that is going to cause him to miss the start of the season. The work visa, travel, and COVID-19 protocols will add some extra time between this contract and Bratt hitting the ice, but he should be with the team by the end of January or early February. If Hischier and Bratt come into the lineup at the same time, they should really start to improve the Devils’ production.
Ever since 2012, things have been mostly bad for the team. This Jesper Bratt contract extension isn’t going to fix any of that by itself but it is a nice building block. He has been a great (and surprising) player for New Jersey after being a late-round draft pick earlier in his career. He has the potential to score lots of goals and make players around him better.
Where will Bratt fit into this lineup? Well, the previous few years of his career has shown that there are a few combinations that would work with him. He can play with Nico Hischier or Jack Hughes because he is a good winger that can play with great centers. He also had some great chemistry with Nikita Gusev and Pavel Zacha in 2019-20 and it would be cool to see that line get another chance.
There is also the Lindy Ruff system coming into play which would really help Bratt’s game based on the skills he possesses. It will be interesting to watch and it should really be able to help develop a player like him. After over 300 days without Devils hockey, it is nice to have them back and it will be even nicer to have them back with number 63 in the lineup.