Like The Yankees/Judge Contract Talks, Devils May Rue Not Extending Bratt When They Had The Chance
The MLB playoffs notwithstanding, Aaron Judge just turned in perhaps the greatest contract run of all-time when he hit 62 home runs for the Yankees this season.
Not to be outdone too much, Devils wing Jesper Bratt has started off the season with the same intent of proving to his General Manager Tom Fitzgerald that he made as big of a mistake as Yankees GM Brian Cashman in not getting the player’s signature on a long-term extension when he had a chance this past offseason.
Bratt has marked the scoresheet in each of New Jersey’s first seven games, including Tuesday night’s 6-2 rout in Detroit on the second night of a back-to-back. His two goals and an assist put him in a three-way tie for the NHL’s scoring lead and his 1.71 points per game has him on pace to shatter Patrik Elias’ team record of 96 points form 2000-01.
Obviously, there’s way too much of the season ahead to take such an extrapolation seriously, but the point is that the Devils may have made a grave miscalculation when they were negotiating with Bratt’s agent this summer before settling on a 1-year deal for the bargain price of $5.45 million coming off a 26 goal, 47 assist campaign.
As a restricted free agent, Bratt was at the mercy of a marketplace that rarely posts offers to such players, even for one who, in my opinion, was more deserving of an All-Star berth last season than face-of-the-franchise Jack Hughes. Unfortunately, all it did for the Devils was kick the can down the road for one more year--a road rife with potholes from a team perspective.
Allowing Bratt to get to unrestricted free agency after this season will undoubtedly open the floodgates. You can probably start with the -7-year contract that Johnny Gaudreau signed with Columbus this summer for a hefty $9.75 million AAV. Gaudreau had the grander resume, but Bratt is five years younger.
For undisclosed reasons, negotiations between the Devils and Bratt’s team have always seemed contentious. Bratt held out until four days before the COVID-19 shortened 2021 season before signing a two-year bridge deal at a $2.75 million AAV. Meanwhile, as he was preparing for the season in his home Sweden, he contracted the coronavirus and was forced to miss the first six games. This summer, the two parties waited until the day of his arbitration hearing before settling.
You’d expect that such a history would mean no home team discount when it comes to Bratt’s big payday. The Devils really have no choice but to pay it.
This isn’t a Taylor Hall situation, where it was never certain that the 2018 Hart Trophy winner desired to return to a team that wasn’t a legitimate Stanley Cup contender and had to be traded. From all reports, Bratt likes it here, having grown from an unheralded sixth-round pick in the 2016 NHL Draft into a dynamo.
Though there was some tough love the first few years that included healthy scratches until Bratt developed consistency in his two-way effort, the Devils encouraged him to maximize his outstanding skating ability so he could be a real driver of offense. From zone entries to slot passes, he is now among the best in the league.
When he plays with Hughes, it can be like a video game. Over the last two seasons, the Devils have recorded a whopping 67.6% share of the high danger scoring chances generated when the two have shared the ice at even strength, per NaturalStatTrick.com.
On Tuesday night, Bratt’s pass across the crease found Hughes, who deposited the puck past Detroit goalie Alex Nedeljkovic to put the Devils ahead for good, 2-1, late in the first period, and then Hughes returned the favor 43 seconds into the second period when his brilliant circle-to-circle feed set up Bratt’s one-timer for a huge power play goal.
Though the Devils’ schedule has been less than daunting, with just one of their opponents to date a 2022 playoff qualifier, the team has been dominating possession metrics. Bratt is second in the league in Corsi for percentage, one of 11 Devils among the top 20 (minimum 50 minutes of ice time, per NST).
All this rising talent means that the days where the Devils hoarded salary cap space are coming to an end. The core of Hughes, Nico Hischier, Ondrej Palat, and Dougie Hamilton already account for $30.25 million of their cap going forward for at least the next four years. Adding Bratt’s estimated $10 million AAV into the pot is going to sting.
All the more so because while we don’t know what Bratt’s ask was for a long-term deal in his recent contract talks, waiting until after he sets the league on fire can’t possibly lower the end price.