The New Jersey Devils announced Thursday afternoon that the team and star forward Jesper Bratt agreed to an eight-year extension. The contract will pay Bratt $7.875 million per season, totaling $63 million.
Jesper will be 32 years old and an unrestricted free agent when the deal expires at the end of the 2030-31 season. The extension includes a full no-movement clause the first five years and a 15-team modified no-trade clause the final three years.
The deal was first reported by Frank Seravalli and confirmed by the team.
The Statistics
The former sixth-round pick had another terrific season in 2022-23 as he matched his career-year from the season prior. For the second-straight year, he tallied 73 points. He also broke the 30-goal plateau for the first time in his young career.
Over the last two season, Bratt has quietly emerged as an underrated star for New Jersey. His on-ice impacts have graded out as one of the best in the league. His elite microdata also paint just as pretty of a picture (see below).
To show just how much value Bratt brings, his total expected goals above replacement (xGAR) ranks 12th among 1,020 skaters who have appeared in a game over the past two season. Among just forwards this figure ranks 10th. Further, just the offensive portion of that xGAR figure ranks 10th among forwards.
Bottom line, he’s been elite.
Playoff “Struggles”
A lot was made of Bratt’s “struggles” in the playoffs. The speedy winger only posted six points, one goal in 12 playoff games. In doing so, he also sported an awfully unsustainable 4-percent shooting percentage. Thus the reason for the disappointing counting totals.
As the above shows, Bratt’s on-ice impacts, although not as strong as the regular season, were still one of the best on the team. Further, his Corsi-for percentage (CF%) and expected goals-for percentage (xGF%) led Devils’ forwards throughout the postseason (at least four games played).
His postseason struggles were largely overblown. I venture to guess the next time we see Bratt in the postseason, his counting numbers will greatly improve.
The Contract
As mentioned, the deal spans eight seasons at just a shade below $8 million. Last year, Bratt and his agent negotiated a one-year deal that would allow Jesper to hopefully cash in after the season. Well, he did just that.
One intriguing storyline regarding potential extension entering this offseason was if Bratt was going to sign long term. The prior negotiations hinted at the possibility that Bratt’s camp would once again pursue a shorter-term deal that would allow Jesper to cash in again via unrestricted free agency. Luckily, for the Devils, general manager Tom Fitzgerald locked Bratt up for the maximum term.
As for the salary, it appears the Devils will be getting terrific value, especially as the salary cap continues to rise. A model created by the Athletic projected Bratt’s worth at $9.3-million per season. As of now, the deal carries a projected surplus value of $1.425 million which is great for the Devils.
Overall, to maximize term while getting an annual average value below Bratt’s currently projected market price is more terrific work by Tom Fitzgerald.
What Does This Mean For Timo Meier?
Simply put, nothing. Do not fret Devils’ fans, the team has more than enough remaining cap space to get Timo Meier signed long term and further address the roster.
Per CapFriendly, the Devils now have $26,407,500 in salary cap space left. This figure is still the fifth-most in the NHL. Even with Meier signed, say to $8.25-million per year, the team would still have well over $15 million to work with. This can then be allocated to remaining restricted free agents and external options to fill out the roster.
New Jersey still has a lot of flexibility.
Final Thoughts
The Devils and general manager Tom Fitzgerald are well underway in building a perennial contender. Last season was just the start, this contract helps continue that and is a terrific start to the 2023 offseason.
Make sure to stay tuned to our website and social media pages as we continue to churn out offseason content.
Note, statistics courtesy of Evolving Hockey and Natural Stat Trick. Contract and salary cap information per CapFriendly.