Arseny Gritsyuk is back in New Jersey, and one of his Devils teammates thinks there’s a real path for him to carve out a top-six role.
That’s the kind of buzz surrounding the 25-year-old winger as players start filtering back to the Garden State and settling into offseason routines. Gritsyuk, who is preparing for his second NHL season, is coming off a rookie year that gave the Devils plenty to work with.
He played 66 games and finished with 31 points, scoring 13 goals and adding 18 assists. He began the season on a line with Paul Cotter, then moved around as the year went on before eventually finding more steady footing alongside Cody Glass at center, with Lenni Hämeenaho or Connor Brown on the other wing.
Glass, for his part, didn’t hesitate when asked whether Gritsyuk has the tools to crack the top six.
“100%,” Glass exclusively told The Hockey News. “I think he's got the shot. He's got the speed.
“People don’t realize how hard it is moving from Russia to come play in North America,” Glass continued. “Not being able to speak English very well, I think that can be very hard on a person. For how [Gritsyuk] handled it, I think he did a really good job because it is very intimidating.”
Gritsyuk was honest about that adjustment when he spoke in July. “A little bit scared because this for me, new team, new guys, and I play for everybody on PlayStation, and now I sit (at) one table with them.”
The Devils locked him in early in July on a three-year, $9.75 million deal that carries a $3.25 million average annual value. In his media availability, Gritsyuk said, “I am enjoy rink, enjoy fans,” and added, “I seriously love New Jersey Devils.”
His first season in New Jersey ended early after a shoulder procedure in April. He spent the early part of the offseason rehabbing before getting back on the ice in July.
Now the next question is where he fits when training camp opens in a few weeks. New Jersey has added Anthony Mantha, Evan Rodrigues, and Jesper Boqvist, giving Sheldon Keefe a deeper set of options and plenty of different combinations to try.
That makes Gritsyuk’s camp one of the more interesting roster storylines to watch. The Devils could give him a crack at one of the few open top-six spots, or they could slide him back into the middle six and reunite him with Glass.
Glass thinks the second-year winger is ready for whatever comes next.
“I love him,” Glass explained. “He has such a good personality on and off the ice.
It was very cool being able to get to know him. His English has gotten a lot better, so it has obviously helped the chemistry on the ice.”
And the confidence doesn’t stop there.
“Now that he will be more comfortable coming into this second year, he is only going to be better,” Glass continued. “I think everybody saw how good he was, and you never know; next year he could be getting a bigger role. The sky is the limit for him.”
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