Jesper Bratt keeps carving out a bigger and bigger place in Devils history, and this season could push him into even rarer air.
The 28-year-old winger has built his reputation on consistency. Even in what was described as a “down” year, he finished with 71 points, and that kind of production has become the baseline for him.
At his best, Bratt is a point-per-game player. At minimum, he’s been a steady source of offense year after year, and that durability is what has sent him climbing New Jersey’s all-time lists.
Right now, Bratt already sits eighth in franchise history with 172 goals, ranks seventh in assists per game at 0.55, and is third all-time in expected +/-. The most striking number, though, is where he already lands in points: top five in Devils history.
That puts him ahead of names like Claude Lemieux, Scott Gomez, Scott Niedermayer, and Bobby Holik. And if he simply lands at his usual floor of 70 points this season, he would move past Travis Zajac and Kirk Muller for third all-time, reaching 588 points.
Bratt is also already halfway to Patrik Elias’ franchise points record. Given his age and his ability to stay healthy, he should have a real chance to catch the Devils’ longtime superstar sometime in the next 10 years. That path obviously depends on him staying in New Jersey, but he does have five years left on what’s described as a very reasonable contract, and Sunny Mehta has already shown he can re-sign his stars.
There’s also a direct line back to the draft. Mehta was pounding the table for Bratt at the 2016 NHL Draft, and the Devils ended up taking him in the sixth round. Now that same pick could end up as the franchise’s all-time leading scorer.
What makes Bratt even more valuable is how he fits around the rest of the lineup. His ability to drive offense at a superstar level is the ideal complement to Jack Hughes, and if the Devils can get someone like Arseny Gritsyuk or Anthony Mantha going this season, Bratt’s numbers could rise again. He has already been producing with Ondrej Palat on his other wing.
However the season unfolds, Bratt is set to keep stacking numbers and moving up the record books. Passing Zajac for third all-time would be a milestone worth celebrating, and it feels like only the next step in a much larger climb.
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