The New Jersey Devils are having themselves a day. Their Tuesday started with a Jacob Markstrom trade that got him off the books and to the Florida Panthers for the next two years. Instead of eating part of the contract, which many expected to happen, the Devils got Florida to take the player without retention. And on top of everything, the Panthers sent the Devils Evan Rodrigues and Jesper Boqvist.
It was a slam dunk move by Sunny Mehta, who addressed the bottom six and opened the door for a goalie upgrade all in the same move. He took his former team to the cleaners, both metaphorically and pretty literally. Mehta got everything the Devils could have asked for from a Markstrom trade.
There’s a ton of speculation of what comes next for the Devils, but before a deal for a major goalie upgrade (Connor Hellebuyck?), they signed their most prominent free agent.Â
It's a 3-year contract for #NJDevils Arseny Gritsyuk, worth $9,750,000 total. https://t.co/CBsAauCy7u
— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) June 30, 2026
Arseny Gritsyuk was a perfect fit into the Devils lineup last season. Sheldon Keefe started the season with him on the fourth line, and it took no time for him to earn more playing time. He was the biggest and best surprise from the 2025-26 season.
Arseny Gritsyuk's three-year deal is perfect for the New Jersey Devils
Gritsyuk, in his first season since coming over from the KHL, was decent offensively and great defensively. He showed he can play Devils hockey about as well as anyone can expect. He only had 31 points in 66 games, but his underlying numbers and the eye test show he's more impactful than his numbrs suggest.
Giving Gristyuk a deal worth $3.25 million per season over three years is such a win for everyone involved. Grits offensive game has a ton of room for growth, but this price doesn’t impact the Devils ability to let him grow at his pace. When giving young and exciting players bit deals, the expectations could crush them. Gritsyuk has a chance to make a significant raise while still playing with the expectations to grow into his role.Â
Sunny Mehta hit another home run with this deal. There’s no doubt he is crushing his Tuesday, and it sounds like more is on the horizon. Getting Gritsyuk locked up before free agency begins allows Mehta to know exactly what he’s working with from a salary cap standpoint. He has enough money to make a move for a star.Â
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