The New Jersey Devils were hoping for big things from some of their young players this season, but at least one will have to wait a while to make an impact. Jesper Bratt, one of the big surprises from the 2017-18 season, will begin this year on injured reserve after breaking his jaw. Bratt took a puck in the face at practice and will be out two to three weeks according to Mike Morreale of NHL.com.
Bratt, 20, exploded onto the scene last season as a rookie with six points in his first three games and finished the year with a respectable 35. While that was already more than anyone originally expected from the sixth round draft pick, this time around he’d been penciled into a key offensive role for the Devils. Bratt had been practicing alongside Pavel Zacha and Marcus Johansson on the team’s second line, and had similarly been working with the second powerplay unit. That opportunity will now go to someone else for the time being, and could result in Bratt being moved down permanently if the Devils get off to a quick start.
The team of course will be opening their season tomorrow in Sweden, meaning Bratt will miss the opportunity to hit the ice in his home country. That overseas trip may actually be beneficial to the team though, given that they won’t play again until October 11th, a full week after Bratt was hurt. Hopefully he won’t be forced to miss five or six games, and will get the chance to show off his skills before the calendar turns to November.
There was a time when fans thought only Lou could find these late round gems. Love the spirit Jesper brings to our team and hope he’s at 100% soon. GO DEVILS!