The New Jersey Devils signed Jesper Bratt to an eight-year deal last month, keeping one of their biggest pieces in the locker room for a long time. This felt like a deal that was a long time coming. The Devils had gone through two terrible negotiations with Bratt, and it looked like this offseason was going towards a third.
Then, Bratt signed for the maximum term and for under $8 million per season. It was a huge win for the Devils and Tom Fitzgerald, who wasn’t playing around with arbitration this season.