The New Jersey Devils will be without second-year forward Jesper Bratt for the next two to three weeks thanks to a broken jaw.
The New Jersey Devils shocked a lot of people last season. They got a lot of unexpected performances from some unexpected sources. Perhaps no source was less expected than forward Jesper Bratt. Drafted in the sixth round of the 2016 NHL Draft, Bratt made the opening night roster.
However, the Devils will be without him to start the 2018-19 season. The 20-year-old forward will miss the next two to three weeks thanks to a broken jaw. Luckily, Bratt will not require any surgery to fix the issue.
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This injury occurred during a practice in Sweden, where they are starting their season on Saturday against the Edmonton Oilers. The Devils are placing him on the injured reserve list. To replace him, they have signed forward Drew Stafford, who signed a PTO with them earlier in the offseason.
Bratt put up 13 goals and 35 points in 74 games during the 2017-18 season. However, most of his success came before the All-Star break. Bratt put up 30 points in 47 games before the All-Star Game.
After the All-Star Break, he had five points in 27 games. Bratt was a healthy scratch during the postseason, only making one appearance during the Devils five-game series against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
This is a fairly significant loss for the Devils, who were expecting him to play in their top six. Stafford will most likely take Bratt’s spot as the second line right wing, playing with Marcus Johansson and Pavel Zacha. It remains to be seen who will replace Bratt on the second power-play unit.
The Devils have other options as well in case Stafford doesn’t work out. Miles Wood is a left wing, but New Jersey has been looking for an excuse to find him more playing time. This is as good of a chance as any. Stefan Noesen, currently on the fourth line, could move up as well.
Luckily, the Devils don’t play that many games in October. They play on Saturday and then don’t play again until Thursday when they open up at home against the Washington Capitals. The Devils, do, however, have four games the week of Oct. 14. So even if Bratt’s timetable is closer to three weeks than two weeks, he shouldn’t miss too many games.