Last night, New Jersey Devils General Manager Ray Shero made waves executing the first ever Devils-Rangers trade. The Devils traded a 2018 2nd round pick, along with 20-year-old KHL defensemen Yegor Rykov for the fast and furious winger, Michael Grabner.
This came as a shock for many, especially after hearing what Shero had to say in an NHL.com article last week.
"“You’re always looking to make a decent hockey deal, but if it’s a rental, I don’t see us getting into what those rentals might cost. Maybe it’s a softer deal that solidifies a certain area or position, or maybe it’s just another hockey deal that takes place. Whether its team play or injuries, any GM will say that things can change. We’ll keep our options open.” -Ray Shero"
For those that don’t know how to react, look no further. This was a very fair deal in terms of value, and team needs. The Rangers are beginning to rebuild. This will be the first of many moves they make in the upcoming days. They’re focused on loading up on picks for the draft, as well as young prospects.
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The most common concerns I’ve seen for Devils fans are if we gave up too much and Michael Grabner’s contract. I want everyone to take a step back and understand that the Devils didn’t give up a king’s ransom. A 2nd round pick is a lottery ticket, never a guarantee. Yegor Rykov might be a decent player, but he is not an elite prospect, and has yet to play in America.
That leads us to the golden question, why did we get a player with an expiring contract? Simply put, he was an affordable, immediate fix. We’ve seen the scoring inconsistencies on this roster, Grabner will slide into a top 6 role and help tremendously. He has elite 5v5 goal scoring numbers, up there with some of the league’s best over the past two seasons.
This trade will likely inspire confidence in the locker room. It shows the players that the front office believes in them to not only make playoffs this year, but to make a deep run.
Will they re-sign Grabner in the offseason? It’s far too early to tell. Let’s see how the rest of this season goes and take it from there. This move was unexpected, and it might not be the only one.