Devils Sign Arseni Gritsyuk To Entry-Level Deal
May 6: The team confirmed a one-year deal for Gritsyuk today. Financial terms weren’t disclosed.
April 9: The Devils are expected to land 2019 fifth-round pick Arseni Gritsyuk out of Russia on an entry-level deal for the 2025-26 season, Daria Tuboltseva of Responsible Gambler reports. The 24-year-old winger remains under contract with Kontinental Hockey League club SKA St. Petersburg through May 31, so an official announcement could still be weeks away.
While closer in theory to a free-agent pickup than a prospect arrival, he’s still on the right side of 25 and tracks as an impactful addition to the New Jersey roster next year. The 6’0″, 194-lb right winger has quite the resume in his home country. He had a breakout year with Avangard Omsk in 2021-22, winning the KHL’s Rookie of the Year Award with 16-12–28 in just 39 games. That was enough for him to be included on the country’s roster for the 2022 Winter Olympics, where he posted three points in six games en route to a silver medal.
Gritsyuk transferred to SKA in the 2023 off-season and has spent the last two seasons there. He saved his best for last. If not for an injury that sidelined him for about a third of the year, he would have led St. Petersburg in scoring. He did lead the team with a +22 rating and recorded 17-27–44 in 49 games. His 0.90 points per game ranked 12th in the KHL among qualified skaters. Gritsyuk also added five points in six playoff games as SKA dropped their first-round series to Dynamo Moscow.
His pending departure adds to a mass exodus from one of Russia’s largest clubs. Their leading scorer, 19-year-old Ivan Demidov, has already terminated his contract and is on his way to Montreal to join the Canadiens for the remainder of the season. They’ve also mutually terminated their deal with ex-Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov and are widely expected to lose top defenseman and captain Alexander Nikishin to the Hurricanes, who drafted him 69th overall in 2020 – although whether that deal gets done in time for him to join Carolina this season remains to be seen.
As for New Jersey, they’re likely penciling Gritsyuk into a top-nine right-wing spot for opening night in October. It’s realistic to expect output in the 40-to-50-point range from the smooth-skating winger next season, potentially even higher if he’s given first-unit power play deployment. He should be a crucial cost-effective contributor for the Devils as they enter the 2025 offseason with under $14MM in cap space for next season and star defenseman Luke Hughes in need of a new deal.
Gritsyuk will pause his KHL career after recording 68-84–152 in 216 regular-season games over the past five seasons. He’ll be a restricted free agent next summer and the Devils maintain team control over his signing rights through 2028.
Devils’ Jesper Bratt, Luke Hughes Undergo Shoulder Surgery
Devils winger Jesper Bratt has opted to undergo offseason shoulder surgery and will miss the World Championship, the team announced. Star defenseman Luke Hughes also recently underwent surgery to repair the shoulder injury he sustained in Game 1 of the first round against the Hurricanes. New Jersey expects both to be ready for training camp in the fall.
It’s unknown whether Bratt suffered his injury on a specific play or if he’s got wear-and-tear issues he wanted to correct. He didn’t miss a game all season aside from sitting out New Jersey’s final regular-season contest for rest.
If Bratt was playing hurt for a while, it certainly didn’t show. The 26-year-old led the Devils with a career-high 67 assists and 88 points in the regular season before adding a goal and two assists in five games in New Jersey’s first-round loss.
Entering the third season of his eight-year, $63MM contract, Bratt has topped the 70-point mark in four consecutive seasons and has been remarkably durable. That final regular-season game was the first one Bratt missed since the 2021-22 season. Assuming he hits the ground running as expected in 2025-26, he’s got a chance at becoming the first Devil with three straight 80-point seasons in franchise history.
Hughes’ injury was far more apparent. He re-injured his left shoulder in a collision with Hurricanes center Jesperi Kotkaniemi and didn’t play the final four games of the series. He suffered an injury to the same shoulder last offseason but opted not to have surgery to accelerate his recovery timeline and diminish the amount of time he missed at the beginning of 2024-25. Now, with a full summer ahead of him, he goes for more serious intervention.
In need of a new deal this summer as a pending restricted free agent, Hughes has 93 points and a -34 rating through his first 155 NHL games since being drafted fourth overall in 2021. He’s led Devils defenders in scoring each of the past two years and is likely in line for an extension well north of $8MM per season if New Jersey opts to hammer out a long-term deal.
Image courtesy of John Jones-Imagn Images.
Bastian Hopes To Re-Sign
- Speaking with reporters today (video link), Devils winger Nathan Bastian addressed his upcoming free agency. Eligible to test the open market for the first time, the 27-year-old indicated that his preference is to remain with New Jersey. However, coming off a down year that saw him record just 10 points in 59 games, he might have to take a small dip in pay from his $1.35MM current deal to do so. The team only has around $12MM in cap room for next season per PuckPedia with defenseman Luke Hughes likely to take a big chunk of that. Accordingly, the Devils may need to keep their final few roster spots closer to the minimum salary and with Bastian logging under 11 minutes a night for the last two years, he likely falls in that category.
Devils Notes: Markström, Pesce, Lazar, Palát
Despite a five-game loss to the Hurricanes in the first round, Jacob Markström backstopped his Devils with one of the best goaltending performances of the postseason. He posted a .911 SV% and 2.78 GAA behind an injury-plagued New Jersey defense, including a spectacular 49-save performance in Game 5’s double-overtime loss. Through five games, Markström’s 5.7 goals saved above expected lead the playoffs, per MoneyPuck.
On the heels of that strong showing in his first year in New Jersey, Markström enters next season as a pending unrestricted free agent and becomes eligible to sign an extension on July 1. That’s something he has a strong interest in doing. “If [general manager Tom Fitzgerald] is calling, I’m answering,” the netminder told reporters today during end-of-season media availability (per James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now).
Markström is entering the final season of the six-year, $36MM contract he signed with the Flames in free agency in 2020. The Devils are only on the hook for $4.125MM of his $6MM cap hit, though, as Calgary retained 31.25% of his deal when they traded him to New Jersey last offseason. He had a somewhat pedestrian regular season, logging a .900 SV%, 2.50 GAA, and 3.4 GSAx in 49 starts, but the one-time All-Star was still a marked improvement over the goaltending that arguably tanked the Devils’ 2023-24 campaign.
He’ll be 36 next summer, so a long-term deal certainly isn’t in the cards. Injuries remain somewhat of a concern, especially given his age – he’s now missed at least 10 games in back-to-back years. His age also means the Devils can give him performance bonuses on a one-year extension to keep his initial cap hit down. If he wants a multi-year commitment, though, he’s ineligible for performance bonuses.
Here’s more on the Devils:
- New Jersey lost defensemen Brenden Dillon and Luke Hughes in Game 1 for the rest of the series, and they weren’t the only rearguards hurt in that contest. Brett Pesce told reporters today he sustained a shoulder injury in the opening game of the postseason but played through it, per the club’s Amanda Stein. It’s unclear whether he’ll require offseason surgery. Pesce has a history of shoulder issues, missing the tail end of the 2017-18 season before eventually undergoing surgery on his right shoulder in February 2020. Pesce struggled to the tune of 17 points and a minus-five rating in 72 games for the Devils this year after signing a six-year, $33MM deal in free agency last summer.
- Center Curtis Lazar‘s knee injury never fully healed after making an earlier-than-expected return to the lineup in December, he told Nichols. He underwent surgery on Oct. 27 but was back in the lineup less than two months later, although he did miss a few games later in the season. The pending unrestricted free agent expressed a desire to be back in Newark next year. While he recorded just five points in 48 contests in 2024-25, he’s one year removed from a career-high 25 points and a +10 rating in 71 games. A healthy Lazar can be an effective bottom-six talent, especially if he returns on a deal similar to his current $1MM cap hit.
- Winger Ondřej Palát will not be representing his native Czechia at this year’s World Championship, per Stein. The 34-year-old managed only 28 points in 75 games this year, a career-low in a full season, and had two assists in five postseason contests. He was an alternate captain for Czechia at the Worlds last year, scoring 3-3–6 in 10 games en route to a gold medal. Being named to Czechia’s roster for the Winter Olympics next year would give him a shot at joining Jaromír Jágr and Jiří Šlégr as Czech members of the Triple Gold Club.
Hurricanes’ Frederik Andersen Out For Game 5
10:33 a.m.: Andersen is confirmed as out tonight but hasn’t been ruled out for the series if New Jersey manages to extend it, head coach Rod Brind’Amour said (via Ruff).
9:49 a.m.: The Hurricanes are unlikely to have starting goaltender Frederik Andersen available for Game 5 of their first-round series against the Devils tonight, per the team’s Walt Ruff. He isn’t practicing today after sustaining an undisclosed injury in Game 4, and Pyotr Kochetkov is in the starter’s crease in his place. The team announced they recalled netminder Spencer Martin from AHL Chicago to serve as Kochetkov’s backup tonight.
Andersen was injured when he collided with Devils forward Timo Meier midway through the second period of Sunday’s Game 4 win to take a 3-1 series lead. Andersen had been spectacular through the first three and a half games of the series, posting a .936 SV% and league-leading 1.59 GAA, including a 34-save performance in Game 3’s double-overtime loss.
Kochetkov, who started the majority of Carolina’s regular-season games with Andersen missing time due to knee surgery, allowed one goal on 15 shots in relief for a .933 SV%. He posted a .897 SV% and 2.60 GAA with a career-high 27 wins in 47 regular-season starts. The 25-year-old has made seven playoff appearances over the last four years, but mostly in relief. Tonight will be his third career playoff start. He’s struggled when called upon in the playoffs thus far in his career, logging a .870 SV% and 3.73 GAA.
Of course, Andersen got them far enough to need just one more win to knock out the Devils and secure a playoff series win for the fifth straight year. Until their current streak, the Hurricanes/Whalers franchise had never recorded a series win in consecutive campaigns.
The team is still waiting to finish Andersen’s evaluation to determine when he’ll be ready to rejoin the lineup. If it’s another long-term injury, he may have played his last game in Carolina. He’s a pending unrestricted free agent after signing a two-year, $6.8MM deal to extend his stay in Raleigh-Durham in 2023.
As for Martin, Carolina’s veteran No. 3 option recorded a 3-4-1 record, .846 SV%, 3.89 GAA, and one shutout in seven starts and two relief appearances earlier this season while Andersen was on the shelf. The brother-in-law of Panthers winger Jonah Gadjovich was quite good in the minors this year, posting a .909 SV% and three shutouts in 31 regular-season contests for the Wolves with a 20-8-2 record.
Devils’ Santeri Hatakka Signs Two-Year Deal In Sweden
Devils pending restricted free agent defenseman Santeri Hatakka has signed a two-year contract with HV71 of the Swedish Hockey League for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 seasons, per a club announcement. It’s unclear if the deal carries an NHL out clause. New Jersey can retain his exclusive signing rights through 2028 if they decide to issue him a qualifying offer before the June 30 deadline.
Hatakka’s move overseas comes after an injury-plagued 2024-25 campaign. The 24-year-old Finn was expected to compete for an opening night roster spot after posting strong defensive results in limited minutes last season, but he sustained a shoulder injury during training camp that required surgery. He wasn’t cleared to return until February, upon which he cleared waivers and finished the season with AHL Utica. The 6’1″ lefty posted a goal, an assist, 20 PIMs, and a plus-one rating in 19 minor-league appearances to end the campaign.
A sixth-round pick by the Sharks back in 2019, San Jose traded Hatakka to New Jersey in the 2023 Timo Meier deal. While he’s flashed upside as a reliable stay-at-home defensive presence, injuries have been a constant. He was limited to just eight AHL games in 2022-23.
In his Devils debut last season, Hatakka recorded two assists and a plus-five rating in 12 appearances while averaging 14:39 per game. He posted a 49.8 CF% at even strength, 1.9% better than the Devils’ shot attempt share without him on the ice, and was widely expected to spend most of this season as a reliable press-box or call-up option. Given he didn’t receive that opportunity and he wasn’t even part of New Jersey’s Black Ace callups last week, it’s clear neither side envisions much of an immediate future for Hatakka in New Jersey.
Attention now shifts toward whether the Devils will want to keep him on their reserve list with a qualifying offer. If they do so, Hatakka would have to sign with the Devils or have his signing rights traded if he wants to return to the NHL when his contract with HV71 expires in 2027. He joins a club whose 2025-26 roster also includes former Senator Olle Alsing, ex-Maple Leaf Andreas Borgman, and former Lightning depth piece Sean Day on the back end.
Luke Hughes, Brenden Dillon And Johnathan Kovacevic Remain Out
- Missing key blueliners Luke Hughes, Brenden Dillon, and Johnathan Kovacevic, the Devils struggled badly in their game four loss to the Hurricanes—and with all three expected to remain out for game five, their defensive woes are likely to continue. Per team reporter Amanda Stein, all three will miss game five, which will likely require veterans Dougie Hamilton, Brett Pesce, and Brian Dumoulin to continue to play extended minutes, Dennis Cholowski to continue to play his first career playoff games, and force higher than anticipated ice time for Jonas Siegenthaler, who just returned from an injury himself. from his own injury. With three starters missing from their blueline, the Devils are trying to replace nearly 60 minutes of combined ice time, as well as 77 combined regular season points, 267 combined blocked shots, and more than 300 combined hits. Carolina currently leads the series 3-1.
Devils Injury Notes: Hughes, Dillon, Kovacevic
While the Devils are currently battling with the Carolina Hurricanes in a pivotal game four matchup, the team remains without several key blueliners, including Luke Hughes, Brenden Dillon, and Johnathan Kovacevic.
Yesterday, head coach Sheldon Keefe confirmed that Hughes and Dillon would remain out of the lineup due to injuries both suffered during game one. He added that neither have returned to skating, per team reporter Amanda Stein, signaling that their return may not be anytime soon.
The team then announced prior to this afternoon’s game that Kovacevic would also be unavailable for game four. The 27-year-old was injured in game three’s double overtime victory, and did not appear after the third period. His absence, coupled with the length of the game, forced veterans Dougie Hamilton, Brett Pesce, and Brian Dumoulin to play more than 30 minutes in the win. Kovacevic is being replaced in the lineup by Dennis Cholowski. The 26-year-old has appeared in 156 career NHL games but today signifies his first appearance in the playoffs. The injuries have also forced Jonas Siegenthaler into the lineup the last two games, despite the veteran potentially not being fully ready to return from his own injury. He ended up playing more than 27 minutes in his return in game three.
With three starters missing from their blueline, the Devils are trying to replace nearly 60 minutes of combined ice time, as well as 77 combined regular season points, 267 combined blocked shots, and more than 300 combined hits. This includes the 41 points the 21-year-old Hughes put up in 71 games. His absence has been particularly felt on the power play, as the Devils have gone 0-12 in the series.
Devils’ Matyas Melovsky Signs AHL Contract
Devils prospect Matyas Melovsky will turn pro in 2025-26, just not under an NHL deal. He’s beginning his journey in the organization on a minor-league deal with AHL Utica, the club announced.
A sixth-round pick last year, Melovsky was an overage selection who’d spent the last two seasons with the Baie-Comeau Drakkar of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. He returned to the Drakkar for his age-20 season in 2024-25, exploding to lead the team with a 26-57–83 scoring line in 57 games. The versatile 6’1″, 190-lb forward added a +40 rating, hitting the mark for the second year in a row, and tied for seventh overall in QMJHL scoring.
While passed over in the 2022 and 2023 drafts, the Czech forward has been a high-end offensive producer for Baie-Comeau since coming stateside from the HC Vítkovice organization for the 2022-23 campaign. He led the QMJHL in assists by a rookie (52) in 2022-23 and was a key producer for Czechia at the 2024 World Juniors, helping the team to a bronze medal with a tournament-leading 10 assists in seven games. He was over a point per game in the Czech top junior league in his draft year, too, so he’s got a track record of offensive success.
That makes Melovsky a definite sleeper pick in New Jersey’s system. Scott Wheeler of The Athletic ranked him as the Devils’ No. 7 prospect in January. It’s a tad surprising not to see them reward him with an NHL entry-level contract out of the gate, but since they’re not at risk of losing his exclusive signing rights until June 2026, they can afford to have him play out a year on an AHL deal without taking up a contract slot.
It’s worth noting that while Melovsky is eligible for a three-year ELC if he signs before Jan. 1, 2026, he’ll only be eligible for a two-year rookie deal if New Jersey signs him after. He turns 21 next month, so that’s his signing age for 2025.
Jonas Siegenthaler Likely Returning For Devils In Game 3
Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler is expected to make an ahead-of-schedule return for the team in tonight’s Game 3 against the Hurricanes (via Peter Baugh of The Athletic).
Siegenthaler was a full participant in this morning’s skate in third-pairing duties alongside Simon Nemec, per the team’s Amanda Stein, but head coach Sheldon Keefe said he’ll have reduced minutes with his conditioning understandably not in playoff form. We noted just yesterday that Siegenthaler practiced for the first time since undergoing lower-body surgery in February.
“He’s feeling good and we’re optimistic that he’ll play,” Keefe said of Siegenthaler (from Mike Morreale of NHL.com). “We’ll give him the day and every opportunity to just feel as comfortable as possible but he’s had the appropriate appointments and his leg, the bone, is healed and that’s [not] a concern at all. The only thing he needed more time with was the conditioning side of it but we’re not able to provide him with that time given our circumstances here so we intend to play him today but it’ll be in a reduced role with reduced minutes and those sorts of things.”
In 55 games this season, the stay-at-home defenseman posted a 2-7–9 scoring line with a plus-nine rating, 92 blocks, and 75 hits while averaging 19:36 per game. Siegenthaler hasn’t played since Feb. 4 against the Penguins but didn’t miss a game all year before going under the knife.
Down 0-2 to the Hurricanes and without fellow rearguards Brenden Dillon and Luke Hughes for a second straight game, Keefe confirmed, the Devils are banking on a boost from the reliable defensive blue-liner, even if his even-strength deployment is limited and he’s mostly dropped in a penalty-killing role. He’ll also look to improve on his only previous playoff showing for New Jersey, when he posted three points and a minus-three rating in 11 games in the 2023 playoffs.
The Devils have been outscored 7-2 in their two playoff games thus far despite receiving expert goaltending from Jacob Markström, who has a .930 SV% and has saved 3.9 goals above expected, per MoneyPuck. New Jersey has been the league’s worst defensive team at 5-on-5 so far these playoffs, allowing 3.78 expected goals against per 60 minutes and 36.5 shots against per game in all situations.
They’re also avoiding a further injury scare with defenseman Brett Pesce. He was absent from this morning’s skate but will be in the lineup tonight, per Stein.
Photo courtesy of Luther Schlaifer-Imagn Images.