Confirmed with Link: Arbitration Avoided, Bratt Signs for 1 year, $5.45 million

[glenwo2]

I like the "prove you can do it again" approach. Interested to see how it goes.

I can't help but wonder if this approach has more to do with the fact that Fitz still needs to unload Johnsson and Tatar to have the funds to provide Bratt the contract he wants?

Maybe this isn't a "prove you can do it again" approach but more a "Play out this next season as best you can while I clear out some dead space. I'll have something more palatable for you next offseason"?

If that's the case then it won't matter how well Bratt plays.

Unless he absolutely bombs, he could play half as well as he did last season and Fitz would STILL offer a contract that Bratt has been looking for.

 

[My3Sons]

If he has a repeat season. Someone will be willing to pay him $8 million a year and I hope it's us

That’s the ultimate question. What would he get as a UFA? If Fitz had some guts he’d challenge the agent with a number and term. Tell Bratt is he doesn’t get at least that offer he returns to NJ for $500k less in AAV than the challenge number. If he gets a better offer NJ agrees to pay $500k in AAV more than the better offer. Either way Bratt is a Devil.

 

[Eggtimer]

If he has a repeat season. Someone will be willing to pay him $8 million a year and I hope it's us

it’s a win-win for the Devils I think. Bratt puts up same or better numbers = he gets paid his worth. If he slightly takes a step back , then hopefully we pay him accordingly or move him for a player that’s a better fit. I know it sounds harsh but in the end , I am confident we will pay Bratt for his true value.
My take is Fitz still isn’t sold that Bratt is as important of a piece as Bratt thinks he is. At least not yet. Maybe that changes after this year.
Its a huge decision to make for Fitz. If Bratt was signed long term and regresses to be a 50-60 point player making 8 mil a year for multiple years… it could screw us for our ability to be true contenders. The more I think about it the more I like the idea of taking one more year to see what type of player Bratt truly is.

I can't help but wonder if this approach has more to do with the fact that Fitz still needs to unload Johnsson and Tatar to have the funds to provide Bratt the contract he wants?

Maybe this isn't a "prove you can do it again" approach but more a "Play out this next season as best you can while I clear out some dead space. I'll have something more palatable for you next offseason"?

If Fitz told Bratt that and Bratt believed him , he would have signed a one year way earlier?

 

[glenwo2]

If Fitz told Bratt that and Bratt believed him , he would have signed a one year way earlier?

Maybe they didn't get to that point (where he told Bratt this) until recently?

Fitz wasn't exactly thinking of Johnsson or Tatar during his negotiations, you know...

Fearless Prediction :

Unless he absolutely bombs, he could play half as well as he did last season and Fitz would STILL offer a contract that Bratt has been looking for.

 

[JimEIV]

*prove you can do it again" is a no win for NJ.

Proves can do it again...Pay me $9 million now.

Doesn't prove it again...then what? Don't pay him? Pay him less? And then he only takes a 1 year to see what someone else will pay him.

I know you all desperately want to spin this to be positive but this ain't going to end well

 

[Saugus]

You’d give yourself away with the Ben Lovejoy mentions

And by posting line combinations that always seem to put Hischier on the third line.

 

[My3Sons]

And by posting line combinations that always seem to put Hischier on the third line.

Well he’s a 3C so what do you expect?

 

[Hisch13r]

Hischier being a 50 point 1C on a bubble playoff team at 18 years old is arguably more impressive than Bratt's season this year.

lol No it’s not. Not even remotely close.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

It isn’t a good point of comparison. But it’s just plainly true to me that Bratt reached higher highs before the contract talks than Nico did. Than Nico ever has, actually. And Bratt was a 5 year veteran at age 23, you can project that he has more to give.

Well I hope so if we’re talking about them being in the same ballpark money wise. Nico was a first overall pick who got his contract after 2 very impressive seasons as an 18 and 19 year old.

Yes what Bratt has done as a 23 year old is better than what Nico did at 18 and 19 but with the money we’re talking about it damn well better be.



And in terms of what is more impressive. That depends on the factors being considered. If age is a factor than Nico putting up 50 points as an 18 year old 1C is far more impressive than Bratt putting up almost a ppg as a 23 year old in his 5th NHL season. Like it’s not even close. Very very few players even play in the NHL at 18 let alone play on the top line as a Center and put up 50 points.

lol No it’s not. Not even remotely close.

If you’re taking age into account what Hischier did is far more impressive.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

*prove you can do it again" is a no win for NJ.

Proves can do it again...Pay me $9 million now.

Doesn't prove it again...then what? Don't pay him? Pay him less? And then he only takes a 1 year to see what someone else will pay him.

I know you all desperately want to spin this to be positive but this ain't going to end well

Even if he does exactly what he just did again he won’t get 9M from anyone. Not many players making that much. Price would probably be in the 7-8 million range. The things is the disconnect IMO right now is that he probably wants to get paid like the player he was this past season but the Devils are hesitant to do so at that price as it was only 1 season. If he performs to that level again it should bring them closer together in terms of negotiations.

There is absolutely a positive to this in that it’s 1 more season to get a better idea of exactly what Bratt is. If he has a great year again we should be much more comfortable paying him big bucks and unless it’s another breakout year I doubt his price goes up too much.

 

[Hisch13r]

Well I hope so if we’re talking about them being in the same ballpark money wise. Nico was a first overall pick who got his contract after 2 very impressive seasons as an 18 and 19 year old.

Yes what Bratt has done as a 23 year old is better than what Nico did at 18 and 19 but with the money we’re talking about it damn well better be.



And in terms of what is more impressive. That depends on the factors being considered. If age is a factor than Nico putting up 50 points as an 18 year old 1C is far more impressive than Bratt putting up almost a ppg as a 23 year old in his 5th NHL season. Like it’s not even close. Very very few players even play in the NHL at 18 let alone play on the top line as a Center and put up 50 points.


If you’re taking age into account what Hischier did is far more impressive.

Even taking age into account it’s not more impressive. Bratt had the THIRD best offensive play driving season in the league and was nearly PPG. He had the 6th best offensive play driving season since the numbers have started being recorded. People really don’t realize just how incredible Bratt’s season was

 

[MadDevil]

I'm not so sure there is hesitancy from us to sign him long term as much as there is hesitancy from Bratt to sign long term, whether its because he wants a bigger payday in a few years or doesn't feel great about where the team is, some other reason, or a combination of reasons. But again, without knowing actual numbers it's impossible to tell.

What I do know is Nico, Jack, and Siegs all had no problems getting and signing long term deals. Bratt on the other hand in the last few years has not signed a contract until literally days before the 2020-21 season, then decided to file for arbitration and signed a deal to avoid it at the last minute this season. Something tells me it's probably his side dragging their feet here, not the team.

 

[Hisch13r]

I'm not so sure there is hesitancy from us to sign him long term as much as there is hesitancy from Bratt to sign long term, whether its because he wants a bigger payday in a few years or doesn't feel great about where the team is, some other reason, or a combination of reasons. But again, without knowing actual numbers it's impossible to tell.

What I do know is Nico, Jack, and Siegs all had no problems getting and signing long term deals. Bratt on the other hand in the last few years has not signed a contract until literally days before the 2020-21 season, then decided to file for arbitration and signed a deal to avoid it at the last minute this season. Something tells me it's probably his side dragging their feet here, not the team.

Jack and Nico got deals that were bigger than they deserved at the time of signing because of their draft positions. It’s not hard to see why they’d have just signed. It’s hard to know for certain what happened with Bratt without knowing the specifics but I just don’t buy that they offered what he would’ve deserved on a long term deal which is 8. They didn’t value him as highly as they should’ve prior to this year as he was not mentioned as part of the core before this year so I bet they were hesitant to offer that up for this one year

 

[Captain3rdLine]

Even taking age into account it’s not more impressive. Bratt had the THIRD best offensive play driving season in the league and was nearly PPG. He had the 6th best offensive play driving season since the numbers have started being recorded. People really don’t realize just how incredible Bratt’s season was

He had a great season but it’s not like he was a top-10 player in the league or something. Any reasonable fan would agree that an 18 year old playing as a 1C and putting up 50 points is more impressive than a 23 year old in his 5th season putting up close to a ppg.

Almost no 18 year olds even play in the league. Like it’s usually 1-2 every season and even fewer of them do close to what Nico did. It’s much rarer. No 18 year old has done what Nico did in the 5 years since (although some others such as Dahlin, Tkachuk and Stutzle had great 18 year old seasons as well in other positions)

Yes Bratt put up great underlying numbers and he is an underrated player but you’re massively overvaluing those numbers if you think they made him one of the absolute best players in the league to consider his season more impressive than Nico’s rookie season. And whether you like it or not production is used as a big part of evaluating forwards in the NHL and Bratt’s for his age is not nearly as impressive. 50 players (with at least 10GP) produced at a better rate than Bratt this season. Over the past 10 seasons, 6 18 year olds have produced at a better rate than Nico (Mcdavid, Matthews, Laine, Eichel, Mackinnon, and Yakupov). That is crazy impressive. He also played all 82 games and the devils made the playoffs with him as their 1C.


Like come on, I’m not sure how you can even say these are comparable.

 

[ninetyeight]

I think people are mixing up two things. It's more rare for an 18yo to put up similar points as Nico, than a few year NHL veteran putting up ppg. However you don't give big contracts based on good 18yo seasons, but you do based on ppg seasons.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

I think people are mixing up two things. It's more rare for an 18yo to put up similar points as Nico, than a few year NHL veteran putting up ppg. However you don't give big contracts based on good 18yo seasons, but you do based on ppg seasons.

Yes they’re separate conversations.

But when it’s a highly talented first overall pick you’re talking about it’s a good bet to give them a big contract after 2 strong 50 point seasons as an 18 and 19 year old. A really good bet to make that could pay off hugely. There’s obviously the risk they don’t turn out and improve but with the upside and how much you have riding on that player anyways it’s worth that risk.

You also should/need to give big contracts based on ppg seasons. The plurality of that is somewhat important. Doesn’t mean it would be a bad idea to give Bratt a big contract but there’s some risk that he falls back, it’s a reason for some hesitation and a 1-year deal for him to show you he can maintain that production again isn’t a terrible thing. Yes the price could be a bit higher next off-season but that might be a risk a team is more comfortable taking. Everyone is gonna see it a bit differently and how highly you value strong analytics is a big factor of how you look at Bratt, his value and what should be offered.

 

[ninetyeight]

We're basically having the same conversation in two different threads. Something non Bratt related needs to happen to sort this out

But when it’s a highly talented first overall pick you’re talking about it’s a good bet to give them a big contract after 2 strong 50 point seasons as an 18 and 19 year old. A really good bet to make that could pay off hugely. You also should/need to give give contracts based on ppg seasons.

Yeah it's always a mixture of many different factors. In Nico's case, overall production, defensive game, leadership and captaincy, rookie season production, junior career production and expected potential.

In Bratt's case I wouldn't say we'd be paying for potential as much as past production. I don't think many think Bratt can score that much more than what he did (maybe he has 90pts potential if everything clicks?). So the comparison for Nico's and Jack's 'pay for potential' contracts is not accurate.

I'm a huge Bratt fan also and truly expect him to be ppg next season as well. I would have been very comfortable paying him 8x7.5m, but I can understand that some might be a little more cautious. Which category does Fitz go, we don't know as the offers weren't public. He could have offered anything from 8x6m to 8x8m.

 

[Hischier and Hughes]

Hoping Jack can stay healthy enough to fight for the points lead next year with Bratt. Wonder if they'll be separated with Palat arriving this summer

 

[Capt Nico Poo]

To be honest i am happy that Fitz/Devils dictate the terms for contracts. That means there is control over the team. Dont like the idea of paying anyone what they are asking for just for the heck of it.

 

[jfc64]

Team Sweden:

Gabriel Landeskog – Mika Zibanejad – Elias Pettersson
Filip Forsberg – Elias Lindholm – Viktor Arvidsson
Rickard Rakell – Nicklas Bäckström – William Nylander
Adrian Kempe – Joel Eriksson Ek – Jesper Bratt

Victor Hedman – Erik Karlsson
Hampus Lindholm – John Klingberg
Rasmus Dahlin – Jonas Brodin

Jacob Markström
Linus Ullmark

 

[ChicksDigTheTrap]

He had a great season but it’s not like he was a top-10 player in the league or something. Any reasonable fan would agree that an 18 year old playing as a 1C and putting up 50 points is more impressive than a 23 year old in his 5th season putting up close to a ppg.

Almost no 18 year olds even play in the league. Like it’s usually 1-2 every season and even fewer of them do close to what Nico did. It’s much rarer. No 18 year old has done what Nico did in the 5 years since (although some others such as Dahlin, Tkachuk and Stutzle had great 18 year old seasons as well in other positions)

Yes Bratt put up great underlying numbers and he is an underrated player but you’re massively overvaluing those numbers if you think they made him one of the absolute best players in the league to consider his season more impressive than Nico’s rookie season. And whether you like it or not production is used as a big part of evaluating forwards in the NHL and Bratt’s for his age is not nearly as impressive. 50 players (with at least 10GP) produced at a better rate than Bratt this season. Over the past 10 seasons, 6 18 year olds have produced at a better rate than Nico (Mcdavid, Matthews, Laine, Eichel, Mackinnon, and Yakupov). That is crazy impressive. He also played all 82 games and the devils made the playoffs with him as their 1C.


Like come on, I’m not sure how you can even say these are comparable.

And just to state the obvious, in the last month or so 3 high end wings in the 24-26 year old age group were traded. Try going out and getting a 24-26 year old C of the caliber of Tkachuk, DeBrincat, or Fiala.

 

[JimEIV]

You know what's funny...this organization has gotten almost nothing from an individual player remotely enticing since Taylor Hall.

Bratt provides easily the best individual performance since Hall and some people here are saying "do it again" - "he's not a center" - "meh he wasn't a first overall ". - "he only had 30 points before". - "maybe next year we can pay him a little extra if he plays like a superstar"

This is honestly insanity. The depths a fan will go to engage their coping mechanisms knows no bounds I suppose.

 

[MauDevils]

So what's the QO amount that he'll be signing next year to walk to free agency?

 

[Nicomo Cosca]

Hoping Jack can stay healthy enough to fight for the points lead next year with Bratt. Wonder if they'll be separated with Palat arriving this summer

Great name.

 

[Bcap88]

So what's the QO amount that he'll be signing next year to walk to free agency?

Same amount as the deal he just signed

You know what's funny...this organization has gotten almost nothing from an individual player remotely enticing since Taylor Hall.

Bratt provides easily the best individual performance since Hall and some people here are saying "do it again" - "he's not a center" - "meh he wasn't a first overall ". - "he only had 30 points before". - "maybe next year we can pay him a little extra if he plays like a superstar"

This is honestly insanity. The depths a fan will go to engage their coping mechanisms knows no bounds I suppose.

I mean a healthy Hughes blows Bratt out of the water last year…..but we know your stance on Hughes