Graves traded to Devils by Avalanche for Maltsev, pick

Ryan Graves was traded to the New Jersey Devils by the Colorado Avalanche for Mikhail Maltsev on Thursday.

Colorado also received a second-round pick (No. 61) in the 2021 NHL Draft.
Graves, a 26-year-old defenseman, scored 15 points (two goals, 13 assists) in 54 regular-season games this season and has scored 46 points (14 goals, 32 assists) in 149 NHL games with the Avalanche. He has scored nine points (two goals, seven assists) in 25 Stanley Cup Playoff games, including six points (one goal, five assists) in 10 games this season for Colorado, which was eliminated in six games by the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Second Round.
"Ryan Graves has been a player we've been discussing internally for quite some time, probably close to two years, a year and a half," Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald said Friday. "... And to nail it down and acquire a player like Ryan, we're ecstatic. He's just a player that, there's nothing fancy about him, he's just a hard-nosed, simple, puck-moving, big body (6-foot-5, 220 pounds) that can skate ... things that we admire.
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"We want to be a team that's tough to play against, we want to be a team that the gap gets closed quicker, and he does that. He helps elevate our [defensemen]. We want to be a team that has maybe more of a [defense]-by-committee type of thing, but if we can continue to upgrade the back end, we know we're going to be hard to play against."
Graves led the NHL with a plus-40 rating last season and is plus-59 in his three NHL seasons. He has two seasons remaining on a three-year contract he signed as a restricted free agent on Oct. 12, 2020.
Colorado was unlikely to protect Graves from the Seattle Kraken in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft presented by Upper Deck, which will be held July 21 (8 p.m. ET; ESPN2, SN, SN NOW).
Each NHL team can protect seven forwards, three defensemen and one goalie, or eight skaters (forwards/defensemen) and one goalie. Any player who has a no-move clause must agree to waive it to be exposed. The deadline for teams to submit protected lists is Saturday at 5 p.m. ET.
"I mean, it's definitely in the back of your mind all year," Graves said Friday regarding the expansion draft. "I knew that you could only protect a certain amount of players, so I understood that something was going to happen. I didn't know if it was going to be me, but we were all pretty aware that we were going to lose a teammate and friend in Colorado, and it ended up being me who's getting moved and that's OK. It's part of the business.
"I'm excited for the opportunity. Everyone has been so nice so far that I've talked to in Jersey, I'm excited for what's coming. It's an up-and-coming team, organization and I'm excited for the opportunity and to join it and to be part of it."
The Avalanche can now protect defensemen Samuel Girard, Cale Makar and Devon Toews. Erik Johnson reportedly has agreed to waive his no-move clause.
Seattle will select one player from each team, excluding the Vegas Golden Knights, for a total of 30 (at least 14 forwards, nine defensemen and three goalies).
"It's always a little bit uneasy when you don't know where you're going to be going next year or if you're staying or what it is," Graves said. "That's been the case for guys around the League all year who are unsure of how it's going to shake out for them. Yeah, it's settling; now you can get into your summer routine and you know what's coming for you, the season ahead. I'm excited for it, just prepare for the upcoming season."
Selected by the New York Rangers in the fourth round (No. 110) of the 2013 NHL Draft, Graves was traded to Colorado by New York for defenseman Chris Bigras on Feb. 26, 2018.
Graves said he is looking forward to see where he fits in with the Devils.
"I don't think there's one thing that sets me apart," he said. "I think that I fit the age group and fit what they're trying to build. They have a couple D-men there who are offensive and can really move the puck. I could be an asset for a couple of those guys and to help kill penalties and kind of be a shutdown guy against top lines.
"... It's something new in my life. It's always exciting, and you take it with an open mind and open arms and go in full steam ahead."
Graves said he was intrigued with the possibility of being used on the power play under coach Lindy Ruff, who will begin his second season with the Devils.
"We'll see on that," Graves said. "If that's where they want me to slide in, then I'm more than happy to be in that role. I actually met Lindy a few years ago, he was the [defensemen] coach for the Rangers and I met him there, it was my last year there I think. ... There have been points in my career when I've played on the power play and done things like that. But my bread and butter and what will always be part of my game and my success is the penalty kill and to be a shutdown guy against top lines. I think that's kind of where I'll fit in mostly, and then we'll see after that."
Maltsev, a 23-year-old forward, scored nine points (six goals, three assists) in 33 games this season, his first in the NHL. He was a fourth-round pick (No. 102) by New Jersey in the 2016 NHL Draft.
The draft pick the Avalanche received was acquired by the Devils from the New York Islanders in a trade for defenseman Andy Greene on Feb. 16, 2020.
"When you value players, there's always a give and take, right?" Fitzgerald said. "You're never getting players for free, that's for sure. So you have to be willing to give up some value. The way we looked at it, this is months of Andy Greene to the Islanders and Mikhail for Ryan Graves, who has the experience of playing in Stanley Cup Playoff games, the size, the mobility, we control him for a couple of more years.
"He gets to test-drive us, we hope this is a place where, we believe, people are going to want to come play. ... There's always a value on what you have to give up. Is something too much, too less? We wanted the player at the end of the day. We know he helps us, and that's what we value."
NHL.com staff writer Tracey Myers contributed to this report