Happy birthday to Jesper Bratt! The New Jersey Devils’ Swedish winger turns 27 years old on Wednesday. It’s an interesting birthday to celebrate. Many believe 27 years old is considered the middle of a player’s prime, with 30 years old considered the start of the downward trajectory.
It’s a conundrum for the Devils. They were considered for the longest time as one of those teams building for the future. They had this core that was incredibly young, and they had room to take chances. They did take those chances, and many of them failed.
Their efforts to keep youth coming under Tom Fitzgerald have largely failed. Right now, the youngest impactful forward on the Devils is Dawson Mercer, and he’s only a few months younger than Jack Hughes. Both players are going to turn 24 years old this season (Hughes already has), and that’s just not that young anymore.
Jesper Bratt's birthday reminds us that the New Jersey Devils aren't young anymore
Nico Hischier, once considered a young captain in this league, turns 27 years old next season. Timo Meier turns 29 years old before the Devils’ home opener.
This is no longer a young forward group. The Devils’ average age is 28.25 years old. That’s right smack dab in the middle of the league. The Devils as a team are in their “prime,” and honestly, they're on the back 9 of their primes.
This isn’t to rush things. The Devils still have plenty of time for Bratt, Hischier, and Meier to be great. Jack Hughes should be entering the best years of his career starting this year. The best of the best tend to extend their prime into their early 30s. Sidney Crosby is still a point-per-game player, and he’s 37 years old.
Still, there should be some urgency here. The Devils do have youth on the defensive end, with Simon Nemec and Luke Hughes expected to make an impact this year, and Anton Silayev and Seamus Casey waiting in the wings, but the forward group needs to start putting great runs together to not “waste” this core.