The New Jersey Devils needed Arseny Gritsyuk to emerge as an effective contributor for the 2025-26 season to be a success, and while it ultimately was not for other reasons, they can safely say they have another piece of the puzzle for the future.
Gritsyuk, 25, ended his rookie campaign on the shelf with a season-ending shoulder injury, but before that, the affable Russian had established himself as a key play-driver on a line with Cody Glass and Lenni Hameenaho.
Overall, Gritsyuk, a pending RFA, heads into the offseason with 13 goals, 18 assists, 31 points, and 66 NHL games under his belt. What was that learning experience like for him?
“So tough league. Everybody wants to hit you, kill you. In front of the net, you don’t have chance to stay like more than two seconds," Gritsyuk said on exit interview day. "I'm happy, but I can be better. Every time I want to be better in my game, and not a lot of points. I wanted more!"
Fortunately for Gritsyuk, a healthy shoulder, a year of experience, and perhaps increased opportunity will allow him to go out and get those points next season.
According to Natural Stat Trick, Gritsyuk played just 142:16 with Jack Hughes at 5-on-5 this season across 49 games, and 749:01 without Hughes across 66 games. We can be sure that Sheldon Keefe, or whoever is coaching the Devils next season, will see to it that this duo spends more time together.
First, new general manager Sunny Mehta will have to straighten out Gritsyuk's contract situation, with talks pausing after Tom Fitzgerald's departure from the organization earlier this month.
Gritsyuk, Paul Cotter, Simon Nemec, Xavier Parent, and Topias Vilen are among the Devils' notable RFAs heading into the offseason, which leaves a lot of work for Mehta and Co. Fortunately, though, Gritsyuk looks like the surest of the bunch to return to New Jersey in 2026-27.
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