The New Jersey Devils have never had a player hit 100 points in a season. In 2022-23, Jack Hughes came close to breaking 100, ending the regular season with 99 points and setting a new franchise record. Hughes seemed likely to push past the 100-point threshold in 2023-24. Although an injury kept him out for five games, Hughes can still reach 100 points this season. However, there’s another Devils player right on Hughes’ tail in the points column: Jesper Bratt.
The Devils have several top-tier forwards, including Bratt, who is in his seventh season with the team. In both the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, Bratt had 73 points. Last season, the winger surpassed the 30-goal mark for the first time. Last year was also the first time he played a full 82-game season. As Bratt continues to grow, it’s become clear that his ceiling is high.
Over the years, we’ve wondered if Bratt has another level. What’s another level above a steady 70-point player? Eighty points seemed like a realistic number, but that’s not much of a jump from 73. 90 points? Even though Bratt is a talented player, that number seemed like a reach before this season. 100 points? That seemed unlikely.
Currently, it seems likely that Bratt will surpass his 73-point high in 2023-24. While other forwards like Nico Hischier, Timo Meier, and Dawson Mercer have had less offensive production this year than anticipated, Bratt has exceeded his expectations. He’s been an offensive juggernaut. Bratt consistently finds ways to contribute to the Devils' offense. He looks smooth, confident, and dangerous. Is a 100-point season within reach?
32 games into the 2023-24 season, Bratt has tallied 38 points. Right now, he is on pace for 97 points in the regular season. This means if he continues to rack up points at his current pace, he’ll fall just short of 100 points. However, if Bratt’s points-per-game pace picks up a little bit, there’s a possibility he can reach 100 points this year. If he falls off his pace, he'd land somewhere closer to where he was expected to be.
With 13 goals in 32 games, Bratt is on pace for 33 goals this season. If he continues at his current pace of goal scoring, Bratt will be part of the 30-goal club again. Hughes and Tyler Toffoli are the only Devils with more goals this season than Bratt. He’s already shown he can be a 30-goal scorer, and this year’s performance shows he can get there again. With 25 assists, Bratt is on pace for 64 assists. To reach 100 points, he’ll need to slightly outperform these projections for goals and assists.
Sometimes, players take a step back after signing a big contract. Not Bratt. He signed an eight-year deal in the offseason worth $63 million. So far, he’s proved he’s more than worth his salary. With this season's output as an indication of Bratt’s ceiling, there is another level, and his ceiling might be higher than we previously thought.
Bratt could realistically have a 100-point season in him. If not this year, he will have plenty more seasons in a Devils jersey to go after that 100-point mark. Jack Hughes might become the first player to hit 100 points in a regular season as a Devil, but Jesper Bratt isn’t far behind.