The Devils placed forward Jesper Bratt on injured reserve on Friday after the 20-year-old forward suffered a broken jaw during Thursday's practice in Gothenburg, Sweden.
The team then signed forward Drew Stafford to a one-year, $810K contract on Friday, allowing him to take Bratt's roster spot. Stafford was invited to Devils training camp on a professional tryout, and even though he wasn't part of the team's initial 23-man roster, he stayed with the team in Sweden.
Bratt's injury occurred when a puck deflected off a crossbar and struck his jaw on Thursday. Coach John Hynes told reporters after Friday's practice that Bratt would not require surgery, and the forward is expected to miss two or three weeks.
Bratt, a Sweden native, will miss the chance to play in the team's season opener in Gothenburg against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday, and the Devils will miss one of the right wings who was expected to line up in the top six.
In the weeks leading up to the season opener, Bratt was skating on the second line with left win Marcus Johansson and center Pavel Zacha. The Devils could turn to Stafford, who played some top-six minutes last season.
They also have the option of bumping up a forward from the bottom six, such as Stefan Noesen. Miles Wood, who typically plays left wing, could also make the jump to the right to play a bigger role.
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