Re-signing Jesper Bratt must remain a priority for the Devils

Any trade is unlikely to improve the Devils as their contention window opens.

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By Alex Chauvancy (@AlexC_THW)

Another summer, another chapter in the chronicles of getting Jesper Bratt signed to a long-term contract.

In the May 11 episode of 32 Thoughts, Elliotte Friedman had an update on Bratt and where things stand with the New Jersey Devils. It was more or less the same, with the two sides talking for quite some time. 

Friedman mentioned that it's been a grind (surprise) and a frustrating process for both sides. It feels all too familiar but, this time around, it's time the two sides buckle down and begin finding a compromise to a long-term extension.

While some fans may want to send Bratt to the southernmost point of Argentina, it'd be a mistake for the Devils to trade him now. 

Fiala remains the perfect comp

The hope was the Devils would sign Bratt to a long-term extension last summer when they had the chance. Things didn't work out that way and the two sides agreed to a one-year deal at the 11th hour before an arbitration hearing.

Bratt is once again a restricted free agent with arbitration rights. This time, however, the stakes are different. He will be an unrestricted free agent next summer. There's no two-year bridge deal or one-year deal on the table this time. There has to be term. 

I've long maintained that Kevin Fiala is the perfect comparable for Bratt, and I still stand by that. When Fiala signed an eight-year extension with the Los Angeles Kings last summer, he had averaged 32 goals and 75 points per 82 games over his previous three seasons, production worth a cap hit of $7.875 million. 

Entering another contract negotiation this summer, Bratt has averaged 26 goals and 71 points per 82 games over his three previous seasons. That's a touch under where Fiala produced, but it's close enough.

You can talk about advanced stats all day, and Bratt's are excellent, but contract negotiations largely come down to counting totals. His struggles on the scoresheet in the playoffs could affect how much the Devils are willing to pay him but he's still worth the Fiala deal. 

If an eight-year extension is what both sides are aiming for, Bratt is worth close to $7.5 million a year. He may be looking for more, but it's unlikely the Devils or any team is willing to go far above $8 million for an undersized forward with a career high of 32 goals.

It's also possible that an eight-year extension doesn't work best for either side. Evolving-Hockey's most likely deal for Bratt is a five-year extension at a cap hit of $6.7 million. That could benefit both parties because; 1) if Bratt wants his payday, he can still get one as a UFA at 30 years old. 2) The Devils get Bratt signed to a long-term deal through his prime years (24-30 years old). 

Regardless, the two sides have to get a deal done because it's almost crunch time. If the Devils and Bratt can't agree to an extension by late July, when arbitration hearings get announced, they will have to entertain the idea of trading him. And they're most likely to lose any deal they make involving him. 

There aren't many paths to winning a Bratt trade