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Jesper Bratt

Devils’ Jesper Bratt Undergoes Surgery To Address Multi-Season Injury

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The New Jersey Devils lineup is undergoing a wave of tune ups, check ups, and surgeries to get back to full health after the end of their postseason run. For star winger Jesper Bratt, the wave of medical attention has marked a chance to address a shoulder injury that’s plagued him for the last few seasons. General manager Tom Fitzgerald shared with reporters that Bratt has undergone successful shoulder surgery and is expected to return before training camp, per James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now. Fitzgerald adds that Bratt chose to get surgery now to help ensure he’s ready for next season and the 2026 Winter Olympics.

The extent of Bratt’s injury, or the pain it caused, isn’t quite clear – but his play on the ice hardly warranted the thought. Bratt has developed into a full superstar for the Devils organization and managed career-highs in scoring in each of the last three seasons. His breakout season came in the 2021-22 campaign, when the top left-winger totaled 26 goals, 47 assists, and 73 points in 76 games. That performance made him just the 30th Devils player to reach 40 assists since 2000 at the time.

Not to be outdone, Bratt matched his 73-point high in 2022-23 – but managed it with 32 goals and 41 assists while playing in all 82 games of the season. That year kicked off a string of unwavering appearances that carried through this season, and Bratt only grew with the nightly appearances. He tallied 27 goals, 56 assists, and 83 points last season; then lapped that total with 21 goals, 67 assists, and 88 points this year. His 67 assists this year mark a franchise record, taking the title from Scott Stevens who recorded 60 points in 1993-94.

It is on the heels of that record-breaking performance that Bratt will take the time to reach full health. He has four years remaining on an eight-year, $63MM contract signed after his repeat 73-point campaign in 2023. With the news that Bratt is expected to reach full health before the season starts, all focus will be on how he can continue to grow on top of a Devils lineup that’s dedicated to change this summer. Bratt’s involvement in the 2026 Olympics will be worth monitoring closely as well. He hasn’t yet joined Team Sweden at the Olympics, though he did appear with the Men’s Team at the 2019 World Championship and 2025 4-Nations Face-Off. Bratt scored four points in nine combined games between the two events.

Devils’ Jesper Bratt, Luke Hughes Undergo Shoulder Surgery

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Devils winger Jesper Bratt has opted to undergo offseason shoulder surgery and will miss the World Championship, the team announced. Star defenseman Luke Hughes also recently underwent surgery to repair the shoulder injury he sustained in Game 1 of the first round against the Hurricanes. New Jersey expects both to be ready for training camp in the fall.

It’s unknown whether Bratt suffered his injury on a specific play or if he’s got wear-and-tear issues he wanted to correct. He didn’t miss a game all season aside from sitting out New Jersey’s final regular-season contest for rest.

If Bratt was playing hurt for a while, it certainly didn’t show. The 26-year-old led the Devils with a career-high 67 assists and 88 points in the regular season before adding a goal and two assists in five games in New Jersey’s first-round loss.

Entering the third season of his eight-year, $63MM contract, Bratt has topped the 70-point mark in four consecutive seasons and has been remarkably durable. That final regular-season game was the first one Bratt missed since the 2021-22 season. Assuming he hits the ground running as expected in 2025-26, he’s got a chance at becoming the first Devil with three straight 80-point seasons in franchise history.

Hughes’ injury was far more apparent. He re-injured his left shoulder in a collision with Hurricanes center Jesperi Kotkaniemi and didn’t play the final four games of the series. He suffered an injury to the same shoulder last offseason but opted not to have surgery to accelerate his recovery timeline and diminish the amount of time he missed at the beginning of 2024-25. Now, with a full summer ahead of him, he goes for more serious intervention.

In need of a new deal this summer as a pending restricted free agent, Hughes has 93 points and a -34 rating through his first 155 NHL games since being drafted fourth overall in 2021. He’s led Devils defenders in scoring each of the past two years and is likely in line for an extension well north of $8MM per season if New Jersey opts to hammer out a long-term deal.

Image courtesy of John Jones-Imagn Images.

Snapshots: McLeod, Huska, Hughes, Daws

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The Sabres will welcome back Ryan McLeod back to their lineup on Saturday.  Team reporter Jourdan LaBarber indicates that the center will be activated and return after missing just three games with what was described as a nagging upper-body injury.  The 25-year-old is in his first season with Buffalo since being acquired from Edmonton over the summer and has fared pretty well, notching 10 goals and 15 assists in 45 games while winning over 52% of his draws.  He’ll likely line up on the second line against his former team.  Buffalo has a full roster at the moment so they will need to make a corresponding roster move in order to officially activate McLeod before the game.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • The Flames have been one of the biggest surprises around the league this season. Expected to struggle by many, they instead find themselves in the second Wild Card spot in the West.  Despite their success, GM Craig Conroy acknowledged to Sportsnet’s Eric Francis that there have not been any discussions on an extension for head coach Ryan Huska yet.  He’s in the second season of a three-year deal and with coaches rarely working with only one year left on their contracts, this sounds like something that will get done by the summer at the latest.
  • While Devils center Jack Hughes was held out of practice today, it appears he won’t miss any game action. Team reporter Amanda Stein relays (Twitter link) that Hughes is dealing with a swollen finger so they opted not to take the risk of infection by putting his glove on for a practice.  However, he is expected to play on Saturday against Montreal.  Hughes leads New Jersey with 56 points in 50 games and is tied for the team lead in assists (38) with Jesper Bratt.
  • Still with the Devils, while Isaac Poulter was recalled earlier today to serve as the interim backup to Jake Allen, it doesn’t appear as if he’ll be up for too long. Head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters including James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now that the plan is for Nico Daws to play with AHL Utica over the weekend and then be recalled.  Daws has been limited to just two appearances in the last four weeks due to injury so the extra game action is needed before he can be considered to suit up in New Jersey when Allen needs a night off.

List Of Players Getting Trade Protection On July 1st

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In the current Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NHL and NHLPA, the league players can procure three types of No-Move Clauses in their contracts. The only stipulations to these clauses are that the player in question must be 27 years of age or older and must have accrued seven years of service time at the NHL level. The three types of No-Move Clauses are as follows: No Movement Clause (NMC), No Trade Clause (NTC), and Modified NMC or NTC.

Per the current CBA, an NMC means that a player cannot be waived, assigned to minors, or traded without their consent, and they also must be protected in the event of an Expansion Draft. An NTC is straightforward — giving the player protection from being traded without their approval. Lastly, a modified NMC or NTC sets an arbitrary number of teams and a time frame when a player can use this protection. In just over a week, an assortment of players will receive trade protection on their current contracts, and CapFriendly has broken it down.

 

No Movement Clauses
D Charlie McAvoy (Boston)
F Sebastian Aho (Carolina)
D Devon Toews (Colorado)
F Roope Hintz (Dallas)
D Gustav Forsling (Florida)
F Kirill Kaprizov (Minnesota)
F Joel Eriksson Ek (Minnesota)
F Jesper Bratt (New Jersey)
F Timo Meier (New Jersey)
G Ilya Sorokin (NY Islanders)
F Pierre-Luc Dubois (Washington)

No Trade Clauses
F Ross Colton (Colorado)
D Nick Seeler (Philadelphia)
D Vince Dunn (Seattle)
F Clayton Keller (Utah)
D Erik Cernak (Tampa Bay)
D Mikhail Sergachev (Tampa Bay)

Modified No Trade Clauses
F Jordan Greenway (Buffalo) – eight-team no-trade list
F Tage Thompson (Buffal0) – five-team no-trade list
D Rasmus Andersson (Calgary) – six-team no-trade list
D Samuel Girard (Colorado) – nine-team no-trade list
F Miles Wood (Colorado) – six-team no-trade list
F Alex DeBrincat (Detroit) – 16-team no-trade list
F Adrian Kempe (Los Angeles) – 10-team no-trade list
F Nico Hischier (New Jersey) – 10-team no-trade list
D John Marino (New Jersey) – eight-team no-trade list
D Jonas Siegenthaler (New Jersey) – 10-team no-trade list
F Mathew Barzal (NY Islanders) – 22-team no-trade list
D Thomas Chabot (Ottawa) – 10-team no-trade list
F Tanner Jeannot (Tampa Bay) – 16-team no-trade list
F Kyle Connor (Winnipeg) – 10-team no-trade list

Evening Notes: Karlsson, Granlund, Bratt

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Dave Molinari of Pittsburgh Hockey Now is reporting that Pittsburgh Penguins star defenseman Erik Karlsson will play for Sweden in the IIHF World Championship in Czechia. The tournament, which goes from May 10th – May 26th will extend the 33-year-old’s season after the Penguins were eliminated from playoff contention six days ago.

Karlsson had a disappointing first season in Pittsburgh but played very well down the stretch which coincided with Pittsburgh’s final push to try and make the playoffs. Although they ultimately fell short of securing a playoff spot, the Penguins’ late run gives reason for optimism as Karlsson finally seemed to find his offensive rhythm with the team posting three goals and seven assists in the final eight games of the regular season.

In other evening notes:

  • San Jose Sharks forward Mikael Granlund will reportedly play for Team Finland at the World Championship (via Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now). The 32-year-old was a salary dump when he was traded as part of the Erik Karlsson move to Pittsburgh last summer but had a bounce-back season with the Sharks tallying 12 goals and 48 assists in 69 games. While his possession numbers continued to be poor, he demonstrated strong work on the Sharks’ powerplay posting a goal and 22 assists with the man advantage. Granlund looked like a buyout candidate last year, but with one year left on his contract at $5MM, he could potentially fetch the Sharks an asset at next year’s trade deadline if they don’t move him this summer.
  • James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now is reporting that New Jersey Devils forward Jesper Bratt turned down Sweden’s invitation for him to play at the World Championships due to injury. The 25-year-old dressed in all 82 games for the Devils this season and had a career year posting 27 goals and 56 assists. Despite the ailment, it is not expected that Bratt will miss an extended period, which is good news for New Jersey as he enters the second year of his eight-year $63MM contract.

Snapshots: Hronek, Bratt, Michkov

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The Vancouver Canucks paid a handsome price to the Detroit Red Wings last season in order to acquire defenseman Filip Hronek, surrendering a first and second-round pick. Part of their rationale in acquiring Hronek was that ascending right-shot blueliners capable of scoring at or above a 40-point pace are exceedingly rare, and by acquiring Hronek the team managed to add a defenseman who would arguably slot in as their best behind franchise blueliner Quinn Hughes.

But with just four total games under his belt and a contract set to expire at the end of the season (he’ll be an RFA, one season away from UFA status) the 2023-24 season is shaping up to be a massive one in determining whether the Canucks’ investment in Hronek will be a lasting one. As TSN’s Travis Yost writes, Vancouver is “betting on” Hronek emerging as a capable, reliable top-four defenseman and building on the development he showed over the last two years in Detroit. If he can shore up a spot as the Canucks’ number-two defenseman, a long-term extension in Vancouver could come before the end of the season.

Some other notes from across the NHL:

  • New Jersey Devils winger Jesper Bratt had put off settling down and signing a long-term contract extension until this past summer, and that patience paid off as his back-to-back 73-point seasons earned him a $7.875MM AAV deal that stretches through the 2030-31 season. Despite now earning that guaranteed financial security, Bratt explained to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek on the 32 Thoughts podcast that the removal of the pressure of playing on a one-year deal won’t impact his preparation or motivation for the seasons to come. Bratt said “Now that the eight-year deal has come around, I know what it means,” adding that “work that has to be put in every day” so that he can live up to the lofty price tag. The Devils have grand designs for their era of contention led by Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier, and if the team ends up achieving those lofty goals next season it’s highly likely Bratt will be a major reason why.
  • Philadelphia Flyers top prospect Matvei Michkov was a healthy scratch for his KHL club’s season-opening game today, according to NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Jordan Hall. The 2023 seventh-overall pick is beginning the first of three seasons left on his KHL contract and scored 20 points in 27 games on loan with HK Sochi last season. His success as a scorer last season raises questions as to why Michkov has been scratched, especially seeing as the move was not, per Hall, injury-related. While Michkov has a long runway to develop his game before he’ll have to hit the ice for the Flyers, it’s certainly not a positive for either Michkov or Flyers fans that he’s not drawing into SKA St. Petersburg’s lineup.

Latest On The New Jersey Devils

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When the New Jersey Devils inked Jesper Bratt to an eight-year, $7.875MM cap-hit deal earlier this week, it may have come in a few dollars less than some expected, given his point production. Similar to Cole Caufield’s long-term deal in Montreal, some attributed this to New Jersey’s desire to keep a strict salary hierarchy – at least among forwards – under star center Jack Hughes, who’s locked in at $8MM per season.

However, general manager Tom Fitzgerald refuted that notion today in an appearance on The Jeff Marek Show, prioritizing the importance of general market comparables over an internal hierarchy. As New Jersey Hockey Now’s James Nichols says, that likely generates a clearer range for what we could expect the cap hit to be on a pending extension for winger Timo Meier. The Swiss-born forward notched 40 goals for the first time in his career in 2022-23 in 78 games.

Given Meier’s experience (and, therefore, consistency) advantage over his teammate Bratt, $7.875MM per season is likely the floor for any Meier extension, as Nichols says. Previous reports suggested Meier was looking for north of $9MM per season when still a member of the San Jose Sharks, but Nichols surmises that may be the max on his negotiation given the comparable to Minnesota Wild star Kirill Kaprizov, who signed a five-year deal for $9MM per season in 2021.

Anything north of $9MM, which now seems unlikely for Meier, would make him the highest-paid player on the team ahead of defenseman Dougie Hamilton. Meier, while he obviously comes with an esteemed scoring pedigree, didn’t mesh as well as some hoped in New Jersey with 14 points in 21 games down the regular-season stretch.

A $9MM cap hit would also leave New Jersey with about $17.4MM in cap space to fill eight roster spots – seven among forwards and one on defense, potentially replacing (or re-signing) pending UFA Ryan Graves.

Devils Expected To File For Arbitration With Timo Meier

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The New Jersey Devils have been busy today, fresh off signing Jesper Bratt to an eight-year extension Sportnet’s Elliotte Friedman is reporting that the club will likely take forward Timo Meier to team elected arbitration. This doesn’t prevent either side from continuing to negotiate a long-term deal, but it does give the Devils some leverage as they head into conversations with the 26-year-old. The team elected arbitration could result in a salary that is 85% of Meier’s 2022-23 salary which came in at $10MM.

Meier came over to the Devils in late February after a blockbuster trade with the San Jose Sharks. He took some time to settle in with New Jersey and put up nine goals and five assists in 21 games with the Devils to finish out the regular season. He would ultimately finish his season with 40 goals and 26 assists in 78 games split between the two teams. In the playoffs Meier struggled mightily posting just two goals and two assists in 11 games and was largely a non-factor in the team’s series win over the New York Rangers going pointless in seven games and suffering a huge hit from Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba. Meier was much stronger in the team’s second round series against Carolina putting up four points in four games.

The Devils decision to file for arbitration isn’t all that surprising given that they are largely negotiating from a position of weakness as Meier holds the hammer in their contract discussion sitting just a year away from unrestricted free agency. He could simply just go to arbitration and walk away next summer.

As mentioned earlier, with the team elected arbitration Meier could see his salary reduced by as much as 15% depending on how the arbitration process plays out. While that won’t do much on a long-term contract, it could lead to an acceleration in the contract discussions with Meier’s camp which would allow New Jersey some clarity as they head into the draft and free agency in the upcoming weeks. The Devils have a busy summer ahead as they try to build on their first series win in over a decade.

New Jersey Devils Extend Jesper Bratt

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The New Jersey Devils and pending restricted free agent winger Jesper Bratt have agreed to terms on a massive eight-year deal worth $7.875MM per season, the team announced Thursday afternoon. The contract, which will see Bratt stay in New Jersey until 2031 and carries a total value of $63MM, breaks down as follows:

2023-24: $10MM salary
2024-25: $9MM salary
2025-26: $9MM salary
2026-27: $8MM salary
2027-28: $7.2MM salary
2028-29: $7.2MM salary
2029-30: $6.6MM salary
2030-31: $6MM salary

ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski also reports the contract carries some form of trade protection. The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports half of the above breakdown is paid out in signing bonuses.

The deal opens up what will be a pivotal offseason in New Jersey. After winning their first playoff series in 11 years, the Devils ended their season without extensions for both Bratt and trade deadline acquisition Timo Meier, who were both RFAs eligible for arbitration. With many more players to re-sign, especially at the bottom of their forward lineup, CapFriendly projects the Devils still have $26.4MM in cap space for next season.

General manager Tom Fitzgerald offered a statement on the monumental deal for both Bratt and the team:

It was always a priority to keep Jesper Bratt here long term and both parties are thrilled that a deal was completed. I value and commend the commitment Jesper made to this organization. We believe that he is a special player and a key member of our core group of talent who will contribute towards the team’s long-term success, and organizational goal of bringing the Stanley Cup back to New Jersey.

Most didn’t expect negotiations between Bratt and the Devils to be smooth sailing. Last offseason, Bratt was also an RFA and nearly required an arbitration hearing to get a new deal signed. The two parties eventually settled on a one-year, $5.45MM deal days before the hearing.

That being said, a deal of this magnitude has been a long time coming. The Devils reportedly started negotiations with Bratt as far back as last November, and after a second consecutive 70-point campaign from the Swedish winger in 2022-23, the team was comfortable committing the maximum term.

Bratt’s deal carries the same average annual value and just one less year of term than Los Angeles Kings winger Kevin Fiala, who signed an extension after being traded from the Minnesota Wild last June. Fiala had recorded 85 points in 82 games that season after a pair of seasons that came in close to the point-per-game mark.

Given Bratt’s similar scoring pace over the past pair of seasons, it’s hard to argue the deal is above market value. He’ll be in his early 30s when the deal expires, so the past few seasons shouldn’t age poorly if he continues his progression.

Bratt drew some ire from Devils fans after a disappointing playoff performance, registering a single goal and just six points in 12 games. He’s posted numbers reflective of a true top-line winger over the past two campaigns, though, and it should be a fair bet that the 5-foot-10 Swede can maintain that level of production. Advanced offensive metrics have been kind to him since his breakout 26-goal, 73-point campaign in 2021-22.

The Devils have already gotten way more value than initially expected out of Bratt, who fell to the sixth round of the 2016 NHL Draft. He was in the NHL just two seasons after his draft year, scoring 35 points in 74 games during his rookie season in 2017-18. In 389 games as a Devil overall, Bratt’s totaled 102 goals and 174 assists for 276 points.

He’s now the team’s third-highest-paid player and second-highest-paid forward. His cap hit comes in at $625,000 more than that of captain Nico Hischier, who’s locked in at a $7.25MM price tag through 2026-27. Only Jack Hughes ($8MM) and Dougie Hamilton ($9MM) make more per season on the team.

Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic was the first to report the deal.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Devils Notes: Severson, Graves, Haula

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The New Jersey Devils won their first playoff series in over a decade this past spring and now face the prospect of losing several key free agents in just under a month’s time. James Nichols of The Fourth Period reported today that Damon Severson’s camp isn’t sure whether the Devils want him to return or not. While it certainly doesn’t sound like the two sides are close to an agreement or even talking now, these types of agreements can be reached in a matter of days. Devils’ general manager Tom Fitzgerald has a lot of work to be done this summer and appears to have prioritized the Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier contract negotiations at this time.

Nichols reported yesterday that the Columbus Blue Jackets were interested in Severson’s services as well, and it isn’t a surprise given the players track record. Severson is sure to be in demand as he is a right defenseman coming off a season in which he put up 7 goals and 26 assists in 81 games. The veteran has spent his entire nine-year career with the Devils and could very well find himself in a different uniform come the fall.

In other Devils news:

  • Nichols also reported that defenseman Ryan Graves sounds like a player that is on his way out of New Jersey. Nichols spoke with Graves agent Allain Roy who said that New Jersey needs to figure out if they have room for his client and that a lot will have to happen before they do. Graves is another defenseman that is sure to be in demand, the 28-year-old posted eight goals and 18 assists in 78 games this past season and was a big part of a Devils penalty kill that finished fifth in the league with a success rate of 82.5%.
  • In positive news for New Jersey, Nichols reports that the Devils have engage in extension talks with Erik Haula. The left winger has stated his interest in returning to the Devils and Fitzgerald has said the Devils would like him back. While they are early in their discussions, Nichols says it would be hard to imagine them not working out a deal to bring the 32-year-old back into the fray. Haula came over from the Boston Bruins in a trade last summer and put up 14 goals and 27 assists in 80 games in his first year with the Devils.
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