Avalanche trades giant Ryan Graves

Giant-format defenseman Ryan Graves moved from the Colorado Avalanche to the New Jersey Devils on Thursday ahead of Mikhail Maltsev and a second-round pick in the next draft.

The Devils strengthen their defense, which was one of the worst in the National Hockey League (NHL) last season. Graves is known for his skills in his own zone, leading the Betman Tour with a +40 differential in 2019-2020.

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Nova Scotian also had 26 points that year and added another 15 points in 2020-21, his third NHL campaign. This year, he led the Avalanche with 91 black shots and 55 penalty minutes and was second with 77 hits.

The 26-year-old fullback has a good playoff time with six points from 10 games this summer.

“Ryan’s physical appearance, size, ability to defend even in difficult situations and competitiveness make it difficult for him to cope,” general manager Tom Fitzgerald said in a statement. His confidence and skill in playing with young defenders are qualities that work well with what we build with our team. ”

With the expansion draft, Graves was one of the main candidates for the Seattle Kraken, but now he may have a better chance of being defended in New Jersey than in Colorado.

Maltsev is a 23-year-old left winger. He has spent most of the season with the Devils, scoring nine points in 33 games. The Russian, who was selected in the fourth round (102nd overall) in 2016, also has 50 games of AHL experience and has played in the Continental League with St. Petersburg SKA.