The New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers made a trade. That’s right! New Jersey sent a 2018 second round pick and Yagor Rykov for the services of Michael Grabner.
What Michael Grabner Brings To New Jersey
Scoring depth has been inconsistent, at times nonexistent for New Jersey. Grabner has 52 goals over the last 1 3/4 seasons. His speed can change games and create scoring chances. The ability to change the dynamic on penalty kills is also helpful.
Again, Taylor Hall is basically a third of the team’s offense when it comes down to it. Goal scorers are hard to come by even if they can be a bit one dimensional. Grabner is not going to wow anyone possession wise and his relative percentages are slightly off compared to other Rangers forwards (about -2 to -3%). New York employed him in the offensive zone around 44% of the time which was a boost.
Looking back a bit to old HERO charts from Domenic Galamini, the picture of Grabner is rather clear. Do not expect him to suppress shots or generate primary assists. Those things will not happen often. Shot generation is right about average with a slight uptick this season.
Is he a top-six winger? That answer is likely no. Can he be excellent third line winger? If he scores goals at the rate he did in New York, that answer is yes. New Jersey at 5 on 5 has dipped goals wise over the last 25 games. Their rolling average has dropped to just below the middle of the pack.
Individual chances and expected goals for are above average. Goals per 60 for Grabner is higher than Taylor Hall even. This is all going to come down to how the winger meshes with the bottom-six forwards and the penalty kill. New Jersey’s penalty kill even needed a boost.
A Final Outlook
This is a gamble for Ray Shero and giving up Yegor Rykov will turn some heads. Rykov is a promising prospect who needs some work. However, he was playing for SKA in the KHL and performing fine in his defensive role. The defenseman was only 20 and had plenty of time.
Is Rykov a top-four defenseman? That answer is unknown. However, his skating ability should improve as he ages. Keep that in mind. If New Jersey does re-sign Grabner, this is even more of a positive for New Jersey. The pressure is on for the winger. He has to produce. Though, Grabner may not be the only acquisition for the Devils.