James Nichols
On Saturday morning, the New Jersey Devils had a new look on the ice for morning skate.
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The highly anticipated Arseny Gritsyuk made his anticipated (practice) debut alongside Devils superstars, Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt.
It’s something Devils fans have fantasized about, hoping to finally give the Hughes line a proper third to round out the trio as a high-skill line.
Through three games thus far, Gritsyuk’s potted two goals and an assist, showcasing his offensive talents next to players such as Paul Cotter and Juho Lammikko.
Thus, the promotion was seemingly inevitable.
According to Sheldon Keefe, skating Gritsyuk with Hughes and Bratt at any point has been in the back of his mind. The Devils coach explained that with split squad games approaching on Sunday, it was a good opportunity to try some new things.
“I’ve had this mapped out for quite a while now, today being a day going into tomorrow’s split squads that we could try some things out,” Keefe explained.
In fact, a number of players saw new linemates Saturday morning. One of the things Keefe is looking to ensure is chemistry up and down the lineup.
“[I wanted to] give some different mixes, different looks, play some guys in different positions, and guys with different players,” Keefe continued. “I think it’s important as you go to through camp, especially with our new guys, that we have—Brown, Dadonov, Gritsyuk as we mentioned—to give them some different looks and get familiar with different people. To see what it looks like. Inevitably, over the course of a season, you have to mix things up, sometimes just because you feel the need. Sometimes it’s injuries that force you to. So, [we’re] just trying to take a step towards that.”
Gritsyuk explained he had an idea the promotion was coming, and is looking forward to the opportunity in game action.
Gritsyuk explained through teammate and translator, Dmitri Osipov, “He kind of got a hint of it. So, he kind of figured that it might be a possibility. Everything is nice, obviously, in the practice, but [Gritsyuk is] kind of more excited to see how it pays off in a game and then how the game’s gonna go.”
Further, Gritsyuk explained playing with the Devils superstars is, “Honorable, because you just give them the puck and get yourself open. Then nine times out of 10 you’re gonna get the puck, and you get a scoring chance.”
However, although we saw Gritsyuk get his first shot with Hughes and Bratt, and he’s likely to play with them in split squad action on Sunday, that doesn’t necessarily mean the plan is to have him start the season in the top-six. Saturday’s practice was to have players get acclimated with unfamiliar linemates as we inch closer to October.
“Inevitably, over the course of a season, you have to mix things up, sometimes just because you feel the need,” Keefe said. “Sometimes it’s injuries that force you to. So, [we’re] just trying to take a step towards that, I would expect that we’ll move right back towards the way we’ve had it. But I do think it’s important to have a little bit of time of different people spending time together.”
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And although Keefe elevated Gritsyuk for the first time, he knows there’s still room for improvement with the KHL-import. Away from the puck, the Devils coach has been pleased with Gritsyuk’s game. And although he’s happy with the offensive metrics, Keefe dished his first criticism of Gritsyuk thus far.
“I think away from the puck, he’s been good,” Keefe stated. “I think he understands, as we’ve talked about, you know, [Sergei Brylin] has been really, really big for him, and his adjustment and his comprehension, overdoing. But, he’s got good instincts, he’s a good player. You know, for him, the things that we’ve talked mostly about is his play with the puck and managing it.
“It’s a fine line for any player that has talent and ability and confidence offensively, you feel like you can make something happening all the time. You know, he’s turned the puck over way more than we would like, but at same time he’s made plays and obviously scored and that kind of stuff too. So we’ve just got to keep working with him on that balance as the hockey gets better, and the competition gets better. Then the managing of the puck becomes that much more important. So that’s this kind of the next piece that he’s learning about now.”
