Jesper Pratt He agreed to terms of an eight-year, $63 million contract with the New Jersey Devils on Thursday. Their average annual value is $7.875 million.
The 24-year-old forward scored a career-high NHL score of 73 points (32 goals, 41 assists) in 82 regular season games for the Devils this season and had six points (one goal, five assists) in 12 games. Playoff for the Stanley Cup. . Pratt would have become a restricted free agent on July 1.
New Jersey (52-22-8), which finished with the most wins and points (112) in its history, was knocked out by the Carolina Hurricanes in five games in the second round of the Eastern Conference.
“Maintaining this has always been a priority Jesper Pratt “Here’s for the long haul and both parties are pleased to have closed the deal,” Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald said. I appreciate and commend Jesper’s commitment to this organization. We believe he is an outstanding player and a key member of our core group of talent who will contribute to the team’s long-term success, and the organizational goal of bringing the Stanley Cup back to New Jersey.”
Pratt signed a one-year, $5.45 million contract extension with the Devils on August 3, 2022, to avoid an arbitration hearing with both sides unable to agree on a long-term deal.
Selected by New Jersey in the sixth round (162nd overall) of the 2016 NHL Draft, Pratt has 276 points (102 goals, 174 assists) in 389 regular season games, and six points in 13 playoff games.
With Pratt signed, New Jersey has seven players who could become RFA on July 1 (Nathan Bastian And Jasper BukvistAnd Michael McLeodAnd Timo MeyerAnd Igor SharangovichAnd Kevin BahlAnd Mackenzie Blackwood) and four can become unrestricted free agents (Eric Hola And Thomas TatarAnd Miles WoodAnd Ryan Graves).
New Jersey signed Defender Damon SeversonHe was the longest-serving player on the team (nine seasons), to an eight-year contract before being traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets on June 7 for a third-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. Severson would have become UFA on July 1.