Avalanche trade defenceman Ryan Graves to Devils with eye on expansion draft
Colorado acquires forward Mikhail Maltsev and 2nd-round pick from New Jersey
The Colorado Avalanche sent veteran defenceman Ryan Graves to the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night in a move made with an eye on the upcoming expansion draft of the Seattle Kraken.
In exchange, the Avalanche acquired forward Mikhail Maltsev and a second-round selection this year from New Jersey.
By trading Graves — along with Avalanche defendeman Erik Johnson agreeing to waive his no-movement clause — the team can protect defencemen Devon Toews, Cale Makar and Samuel Girard. The Devils have plenty of room to protect Graves.
The 26-year-old Graves had two goals and 13 assists over 54 games with the Avalanche last season. He led the team in blocked shots with 91 and was second in hits with 77.
He was dependable on the blue line for Colorado since he was acquired Feb. 26, 2018, from the New York Rangers. His plus-40 rating in 2019-20 led the league, the first time an Avalanche player accomplished the feat since Milan Hejduk and Peter Forsberg (plus-52) in 2002-03.
Graves will bolster a Devils defence that was so-so last season. The main cogs are Ty Smith, Damon Severson and P.K. Subban. Will Butcher spent much of the year in the doghouse.
"Ryan brings physicality, size, an ability to defend in tough situations and a fearless compete level that makes him tough to play against," Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald said in a statement. "His assertive style of play and ability to play with young defencemen are characteristics that fit into what we are building with our group."
The 6-foot-3, 198-pound Maltsev was a fourth-round pick of the Devils in 2016. He also played in Russia, where he had a goal and seven assists in 35 career Kontinental Hockey League games with SKA St. Petersburg.
Colorado has quite a few big players who are free agents, including captain Gabriel Landeskog and goaltender Philipp Grubauer. There's also forwards Brandon Saad, Matt Calvert, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Carl Soderberg, goaltender Devan Dubnyk and defenseman Patrik Nemeth.
