Arseny Gritsyuk has gone from promising newcomer to one of the Devils’ most dangerous finishers in a hurry.
New Jersey was already intrigued when the winger signed his entry-level deal at the end of the 2024-25 season. His KHL production, especially for a player that young, had people thinking he could bring cheap offense to the lineup.
He delivered in his first North American season, too, finishing with 13 goals and 18 assists for 31 points in 66 games. That performance earned him a new three-year contract with a cap hit of $3.5 million per season.
This season started quietly enough. Gritsyuk opened on the third line, then moved up alongside Jesper Bratt and Jack Hughes for the sixth game of the year.
Before that switch, he had only one goal and one assist. Since then, the offense has taken off.
After the Detroit game, he scored five goals over his next five outings, then added two more against Vegas. That gives him seven goals and three assists over his last nine games, and eight goals overall in 15 appearances.
At that rate, the numbers get loud fast. Gritsyuk is currently on pace for 44-45 goals over the full season, which would land among the top five goal-scoring seasons in Devils history. Even more eye-opening, his last nine games have him tracking toward 65 goals over an 84-game season.
Still, there’s reason to be careful about reading too much into the hot streak. His current 22.2% shooting percentage is bound to come back down at some point, and his career track record doesn’t show a player who has ever scored 20 or more goals in a professional, non-junior league. That doesn’t mean he can’t get there now, but it does mean the Devils have to keep one eye on regression.
There are also real reasons this surge could hold up better than it might on paper. Playing with Hughes and Bratt changes the whole equation.
Both are known more for creating chances than finishing them, which makes Gritsyuk the natural shooter on the line. With those two feeding him the puck, he’s getting cleaner looks and more chances to let his skill show.
The move up the lineup has also brought more ice time, more shifts, and more opportunities overall. Whether the extra production is mostly about the linemates, the minutes, or both, the Devils have benefited either way.
The bigger question is what happens if the goals dry up. Shooters cool off over the course of an NHL season, and if that happens here, Sheldon Keefe could always shuffle things again.
For now, though, the Devils have to be happy with the way Gritsyuk has looked. He’s scoring, he’s fitting in with elite talent, and he’s giving New Jersey the kind of offensive boost that can change the feel of a lineup.
In Other News...
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When Craig Conroy took over as general manager in Calgary, one of his first major moves was sending starting goaltender Jacob Markstrom to New Jersey in a deal that brought back a 2025 first-round pick and defenseman Kevin Bahl. On paper, it was the kind of transaction both sides could justify at the time, with the Devils getting the veteran goalie they believed could stabilize the crease and the Flames adding assets for a retool.
The problem for New Jersey is that the return has only grown more lopsided. Bahl has settled in as a key piece on Calgarys blue line and earned a six-year contract extension, while the first-round pick was used to select prospect Cole Reschny. Markstrom, meanwhile, never found his footing with the Devils and was eventually traded to the Florida Panthers, leaving New Jersey with little to show for a move that looked cleaner when it was made. [Read more 🡒]
Luke Hughes Is Making The Devils Look Very Smart Right Now
The Devils decision to lock up Luke Hughes before he reached his prime is looking better by the week. In a league where teams are increasingly willing to bet on upside with young defensemen, New Jersey has seen Hughes turn that faith into a breakout season, giving the blue line a player who can drive play at both ends and tilt the ice in the Devils favor.
Philip Brobergs rise in St. Louis offers a useful comparison, since the Blues made a similar long-term commitment and have been rewarded with a defender who has become their top option on the back end. For New Jersey, the broader point is hard to miss: when a young defenseman develops this quickly, the contract that once looked like a projection starts to look like a bargain. [Read more 🡒]