Devils Avoid Arbitration With Breakthrough Forward

The New Jersey Devils have worked out a deal with their breakout forward Jesper Bratt, just in the nick of time.

Jesp some #NEWS to drop: We have signed Jesper Bratt to a one-year deal worth $5.45 million, avoiding arbitration. He is an RFA at the end of 2022-23.

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) August 3, 2022

It's a one-year, $5.45M deal, which allows the two sides to avoid arbitration by mere hours. Bratt will once again be a restricted free agent after the coming season. 

'Jersey Jesper' had his big breakout season this year, jumping from the 30-point range of his first four years to 73 points, on 26 goals and 47 assists. 

Despite being drafted 162nd overall in the 2016 Draft, Bratt has recorded the 7th-most points of any player drafted that year. 

Most points from the 2016 entry draft (with draft position):

Auston Matthews - 457 (1)
Matthew Tkachuk - 382 (6)
Patrik Laine - 327 (2)
Alex Debrincat - 307 (39)
Clayton Keller - 256 (7)
Pierre-Luc Dubois - 239 (3)
Jesper Bratt - 203 (162)

— CapFriendly Depth Charts (@CF_DepthCharts) August 3, 2022

With no long-term extension reached, however, it's likely that Bratt's name will continue to pop up in trade rumors as we head towards the start of the new season. 

Photo: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports