Devils’ Arseny Gritsyuk Exhibiting Signs of Successful NHL Future

The only knock thus far is that he’s turned over the puck a little too much, but rather that than to be apprehensive. Uber-talented players like Connor McDavid, Nikita Kucherov, Kirill Marchenko and Jake Guentzel have all turned over the puck more frequently than Gritsyuk this preseason. It shouldn’t be a worry in a small sample size…especially for a player just getting used to NHL ice.

Overcoming Language Barrier

A recent story from The Hockey News explained how the Carolina Hurricanes were struggling to communicate with Russian defenseman Alexander Nikishin, which was impacting his acclimation to the daily operations of NHL life.

For the Devils and Gritsyuk, things have gone much smoother, especially thanks to the impact of fellow Russian Sergei Brylin as Assistant Coach. Head coach Sheldon Keefe recently gave some more insight:

“[Gritsyuk’s] English is better than my experience has been with [other] guys coming over for the first time,” Keefe said. “So that’s the first thing. You know, he’s been building towards coming here for a while, so he’s spent the time to work on his English. But having Sergei Brylin on staff is a tremendous asset for us in this regard. It’s very helpful (…) Also, [Gritsyuk] played in the KHL for Bob Hartley. Bob coached a long time in the NHL, and he’s speaking broken English, but it is English, and he’s familiar with the lingo and such that comes in the North American game. So all that will help the adjustment and already has.”

Through a social app called Telegram, Gritsyuk has given many positive updates to his supporters back home in Russia, often explaining how he likes New Jersey and is continuing to get more comfortable. He’s also been working on his cooking skills…and has frequently showed off said culinary skills to his audience. Bobby Flay who!?

Earning New Opportunity

While he’s mostly skated with guys who will be part of the Devils’ bottom-six, he’ll be getting a great opportunity on Sunday, skating with Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt.

“[I wanted to] give some different mixes, different looks, play some guys in different positions, and guys with different players,” Keefe said to NJD.TV. “I think it’s important as you go to through camp, especially with our new guys, that we have Brown, Dadonov [and] Gritsyuk as we mentioned, to give them some different looks and get familiar with different people (…) 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.”

It’s not fair to raise expectations too high, but if Gritsyuk can become a top-six caliber player, that completely changes the dynamic of the Devils’ forward group. At just 24 years old, the sky is the limit.