RALEIGH, N.C. -- Oh, Michael Grabner's moving all right, just not to Pittsburgh. He's going across the Hudson River from Manhattan to North Jersey.
On Thursday night, Devils GM Ray Shero acquired Grabner from the Rangers in exchange for a second-round pick and prospect Yegor Rykov. The Devils were one of 10 teams, including the Penguins, who were believed to have shown interest in Grabner.
New Jersey was a late entry into the bidding but Shero was able to land the prized Austrian speedster, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.
Grabner was a healthy scratch -- along with Rick Nash -- for the Rangers' game in Montreal on Thursday night as a precautionary move ahead of Monday's NHL trade deadline.
With his speed, Grabner would have seemed an ideal fit in Mike Sullivan's system. Grabner, 30, certainly put that speed on display Jan. 14 against the Penguins and he didn't even score on this chance (he did that earlier):
Since going to the Rangers two years ago, Grabner has rediscovered his scoring touch, potting 52 goals over the past two seasons, including 25 this year.
Grabner comes relatively cheap to the Devils. He is in the final year of a contract that is paying him $1.65 million.
The 20-year-old Rykov, the Devils' fifth-round pick in 2016, has two goals and 14 points in 51 games this season for St. Petersburg SKA of the KHL.
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