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What Michael Grabner Brings to the Table for the New Jersey Devils

By Tyler Kelley

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 11: New Jersey Devils Goalie Cory Schneider (35) blocks a shot by New York Rangers Left Wing Michael Grabner (40) in the second period of a Metropolitan Divisional match-up between the New Jersey Devils, and the New York Rangers on December 11, 2016, at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. (Photo by David Hahn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 11: New Jersey Devils Goalie Cory Schneider (35) blocks a shot by New York Rangers Left Wing Michael Grabner (40) in the second period of a Metropolitan Divisional match-up between the New Jersey Devils, and the New York Rangers on December 11, 2016, at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. (Photo by David Hahn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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The New Jersey Devils acquired Michael Grabner in a shocking deal with the New York Rangers.  The Devils sent a 2nd round pick and former 5th round pick and current KHLer Yegor Rykov to New York in exchange for the speedy winger.

There are likely a couple reasons for this move.  Michael Grabner is a proficient 5v5 goal scorer and will likely find himself on the Devils 2nd line as a right wing. The Devils had a clear need in their top 6 for a winger and Grabner fills that role.  This acquisition likely signals that Marcus Johansson is also going to miss a significant amount of time.

Now let’s dig into some positives for Grabner. He’s top 10 in the NHL in G/60 at 1.35 which rates higher than any current Devils player, Taylor Hall included.  His 25 goals this year tie him with Taylor Hall for the team lead.  The Devils had a clear need for 5v5 secondary scoring and Grabner fills that role.

Using the Player Evaluation Tool, Grabner compares well to my favorite trade deadline target Alex Galchenyuk and likely cost far less.  Grabner is 30, and will be a UFA after this year.  While cap room isn’t a major concern for the Devils, he carries a small cap hit of 1.65 million.

The fact that the Devils were willing to give up a 2nd round pick for Grabner likely points to a willingness to re-sign Grabner.  There’s a clear lack of RW depth in New Jersey beyond Kyle Palmieri. Graber is a nice temporary stop gap.

There’s also still the likelihood of follow up moves for the Devils.  John Moore could likely bring back the 2nd round pick lost in this deal if the Devils are comfortable with Mirco Mueller as their 3rd pair LD. Only adding Grabner’s 1.65 million cap hit leaves their options wide open.

Ray Shero made a move to a fill a gap in the Devils top 6 without mortgaging the future. There’s still plenty of time for more moves to be made and the Devils could certainly use a LD upgrade.

Next: New Jersey Devils Best Trade Deadline Fits

Oh and in case you were wondering, this is officially the first trade between the Devils and Rangers.

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