The New Jersey Devils made a splash early in NHL Trade Deadline weekend when they made their first trade with the New York Rangers. For right now, the deal for Michael Grabner did not work out.
Making trades is always risky business in sports. Moves made in the middle of a season always bring an extra element of risk. Bringing a player in from a team he already has chemistry with can always mess up that player’s workflow. The New Jersey Devils took that risk when they traded a second-round pick and Yegor Rykov for Michael Grabner.
On paper, Grabner makes perfect sense for the Devils, even as a rental. He’s super fast, and can go stride for stride with Miles Wood. He can break past a defense, and make his own chances. Grabner brings a certain skill set you don’t find with other players. On top of that, he brings 25 goals on the season.
However, since he came to the Devils something has been off. He’s still shown he can outrun a defense, but his scoring ability is nonexistent. In fact, it’s zero. He has zero goals and zero assists in eight games in New Jersey.
Against the Florida Panthers, a game that looks more crucial by the day, Grabner had an open shot off a breakaway against Roberto Luongo. He missed the net, badly. There’s a lot riding on those chances, and Grabner just seems to be pressing when the puck is on his stick.
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In the Devils last game, Grabner may have had the most negative play of the game. He went behind the net in overtime against the Nashville Predators and tripped someone in the offensive zone. Luckily, the Devils killed the penalty and won in the shootout, but that could have been a killer.
With Pavel Zacha and Travis Zajac out the last game, the Devils were forced to put Grabner on the second line. This was probably two fold. One, the team was just that shorthanded. Two, trying to get his confidence going by moving him up.
Right now, the trade looks like a bust. The Devils desperately need secondary scoring over the final month of the season. Grabner was brought in to add goal scoring to a team in desperate need of it. So far, he’s done very little. He’s still a good defensive forward, but that mostly comes on instinct. His confidence needs a boost. That turns offensive chances into goals. If that happens, he could change the perception of this trade immediately.