Jesper Bratt
Age: 27 Position: LW
Statistics: 22 goals, 49 assists, 71 points (82 games)
Contract: eight year, $7.875 million (five years remaining)
Grade: A-
2025-26 Review
Despite a slower start, Jesper Bratt had another strong season. He compiled 71 points in 82 games finishing second on the team in scoring. Bratt did, however, take a step back offensively from where he has typically been. The 71 points he produced in 2025-26 is the lowest since the 2021-22 season. He had posted seasons of 83 and 88 points, respectively, over the last two.
Bratt was specifically hot over the last 27 games of the season where he posted 31 points. One of the main reasons why it took Bratt a bit to get going is the on-ice shooting percentage finally positively regressing. Over the last 27 games the Devils shot 14.48% while Bratt was on the ice, prior to that, the Devils were shooting 8.68% while he was on the ice.
This shooting percentage discrepancy was one of the main reasons why several were concerned and critical of Bratt’s play for a large portion of the season. Any individual’s numbers and perception will take a hit when a team is shooting that poorly. Make no mistake about it, Bratt was still playing well despite the results not actually being there quite yet. The Swedish forward led the team in Corsi-for percentage (CF%) and expected goals-for percentage (xGF%) over that long stretch of poor shooting. When it finally turned is when you saw the tangible offensive production sky rocket, thus the 31 points in 27 games to end the season.
To add to the positive picture of Bratt overall, he was one of the most valuable players on the team in 2025-26. According to Evolving Hockey’s goals above replacement (GAR) metrics, Bratt’s overall metrics ranked in the league’s 92nd percentage and offensively in the 89th percentile. His five-on-five defense was a little below replacement level but strong work on the penalty kill and the lack of penalties he took resulted in on-ice defensive metrics being in the 62nd percentile.
Specifically, as far as expected goals above replacement (xGAR) Bratt ranked 27th among 906 skaters to play in at least one game this season. His numbers were better than the likes of Matt Boldy, Sidney Crosby, Jack Eichel, Kirill Kaprizov, among many others.
It was another terrific season for the 27-year-old both analytically and through the traditional statistics. This all despite what many dubbed as a slow and uncharacteristic start which actually turned out to be more so shooting percentage related than him actually playing poorly.
2026-27 Outlook
Jesper Bratt is under contract for five more seasons at an extremely affordable $7.875 million cap hit. Bratt continues to be an underrated presence league-wide and will surely be the team’s No. 2 option offensively once again next season.
Offensively, Bratt has been one of the most dynamic forwards in the league. Over the last five seasons, Bratt has the 23rd-most points in the league. Analytically, he grades out even better offensively as based off offensive GAR Bratt ranks 14th and based off xGAR he ranks 18th. Not to mention, Bratt has been taking steps forward defensively. In 2025-26, Bratt posted on-ice defensive metrics that graded over the 50th percentile for the first time since 2020-21.
To put a ribbon on everything, Bratt now has a general manager coming in (Sunny Mehta) who certainly loves his game and is actually a main reason the Devils made him the steal of the 2016 NHL Draft in the sixth round.
The below is an excerpt from Peter Baugh’s article in 2025 via the Athletic, “He also had a proponent in Sunny Mehta, then the Devils’ director of hockey analytics, and his statistical model that ranked players before the draft. That model’s final rankings, according to a team source, put Auston Matthews as the No. 1 player in the class, Patrik Laine at No. 2 and Bratt at No. 3. Mehta, now an assistant general manager with the Panthers, was skeptical about that high a ranking, but after New Jersey took Michael McLeod in the first round and Nathan Bastian in the second, he started pushing hard for Bratt. The upside was there, and the Devils finally took their swing in the sixth round.”
The above statistics are courtesy of Natural Stat Trick and Evolving Hockey.