New Jersey Devils notes: On Bratt, Blackwood, and more

Thoughts on Bratt's contract negotiations, moving on from Blackwood, and closing the book on Severson.

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A few thoughts on the latest and greatest surrounding the New Jersey Devils:

On Jesper Bratt’s next contract

Pierre LeBrun of TheAthletic provided an update on contract negotiations with Jesper Bratt, reporting the Devils have made a long-term offer to the star winger.

Details below:

My understanding is that the Devils have made an offer to pending RFA winger Jesper Bratt. And I believe that offer is for the max term, eight years.

What remains to be seen is if the Bratt camp wants to go that long on this contract or will push for a shorter-term deal that will allow the player to jump back into a more lucrative market with the cap going up over the next few years.

I am not surprised the Devils are trying to go eight years with Bratt. I’m even less surprised his camp has cold feet and is hesitant to sign away that kind of term.

I have written time and time again in recent weeks that negotiations are going to be tricky here – surprise! – and that while I ultimately do think the two sides will come to a resolution, it will likely take mid-term to reach it.

This from a few weeks ago:

I think Jesper Bratt will sign a shorter term extension (5 years?) in the ballpark of $8 million per. This gets Bratt a healthy payday and allows him to the opportunity to hit it even bigger down the road. He’d still only be 30 and the cap will be significantly higher than it is now. It’s a good compromise.

Bratt’s camp has not gotten the contract they’ve wanted two negotiations in a row. Rightly or wrongly, I believe they feel they lost both deals.

His camp is not about to cave and sign the rest of Bratt’s prime earning years away at a number less than they feel he is worth (or can get).

Not when Bratt has unrestricted free agency in his back pocket. Not when the salary cap is expected to rise millions and millions in the coming years. And not when the organization is trying to use the Jack Hughes deal as an internal ceiling.

I really do believe for Bratt to be happy with a salary in the ballpark of $8 million, the term has to be noticeably shorter. I don’t see any way he signs for $8M or less at max-term. For four or five years, maybe. Not eight.

Say what you want about how Bratt and his camp are handling things, but I believe that an eight-year deal would be bad business for them.

They have come a long way here. The worst case scenario for them this summer is toughing it out for one more year before hitting the open market, at which point we’re talking about teams lining up for the chance to add a 25-year-old(!) likely coming off his third 70+ point season in a row.

He’s either going to get the term he wants in New Jersey so he can cash in again around 30, or he’s going to hit the open market and easily clear the $8 million the Devils don’t want to reach (or go beyond).

I still do think we see an extension in the range of $8 million for four or five years. But the longer this drags out, the more potential there is for Tom Fitzgerald to throw his hands in the air and ship Bratt elsewhere.

Alex DeBrincat?