Devils sign Arseny Gritsyuk to three-year contract

The New Jersey Devils have signed winger Arseny Gritsyuk to a three-year contract with a $3.25 million cap hit.

Gritsyuk was a restricted free agent after the conclusion of his one-year, $925,000 contract. The deal will see his salary fluctuate from $2.25 million in the first year to $2.75 million in the second year to $4.75 million in the third year. No bonuses or clauses have been confirmed with the deal. The final year of the contract is a unrestricted free agent year, hence the large increase in salary.

Gritsyuk’s new contract will make up 3.13% of the Devils’ salary cap picture for the 2026-27 season, and locks him up until he’s 28 years old. His closest contract comparables are Ridley Greig ($3.25 million cap hit for four years) and Eetu Luostarinen ($3 million cap hit for three years).

A fifth-round pick by the Devils in the 2019 NHL Draft, Gritsyuk spent his first seven seasons after being drafted playing in Russia, primarily in the KHL. In the summer of 2025, he made the move to North America, signing his one-year deal with the Devils.

Gritsyuk proved to be an excellent player for the Devils, bringing a strong two-way game to the table while also producing well in a third-line role with 13 goals and 18 assists for 31 points in 66 games. He also played well when further up in the lineup alongside Jack Hughes or Nico Hischier, so this contract could prove to age well for New Jersey if he gets a consistent top-six role going forward.

The Devils have already made a few moves this summer in addition to extending Gritsyuk, as they’ve also dealt Simon Nemec and Jakob Markstrom, with New Jersey getting Evan Rodrigues and Jepser Boqvist in the latter deal. The Devils now have $9,727,500 in cap space according to PuckPedia with 14 UFAs and six RFAs, highlighted by Evgenii Dadonov and Paul Cotter.