A roundup of some Devils-related news for today.
Eric Gryba, who spent ten games as a Devil last season, has retired. The 31-year-old defenseman made the decision last Sunday after being released from a professional tryout with the Calgary Flames this past Thursday.
Gryba said on Twitter (as relayed by NHL.com): “I want to thank all my teammates, they’ve been unbelievable, all the staff, the coaches … and the fans everywhere from Binghamton to Ottawa and Edmonton and New Jersey and Bakersfield and everywhere in between. Thank you guys so much for all the support over the years but it’s time to hang ‘em up.”
The seven-season veteran of the NHL said that wear and tear on his body was the major factor in the decision. “It’s been a lot of great years and a lot of great memories, but the body is starting to fail a little bit and I feel it’s time to move on and do the next chapter in my life.”
Gryba was selected by the Ottawa Senators 68th overall in 2006 (third round) and ended up playing 289 games for the Sens, notching seven goals and 36 assists (43 points).
He played the majority of last season with the Binghamton Devils of the AHL and notched seven points (two goals and five assists) over 47 games. He played in ten games at the NHL level. He was signed as a free agent by the Devils on July 1, 2018 after playing with Edmonton prior.
Good luck to Gryba in his future, be it in the game or elsewhere.
In another bit of news reported on NHL.com, Mike Morreale is reporting that Kyle Palmieri is day-to-day with a lower body injury.
The article reports that Palmieri had an assist over 16:04 of ice time against the Rangers last Friday, but did not play on Saturday’s game against the Islanders (although that most likely had little to do with the injury).
The article did not specify whether the injury was suffered in practice or in a game situation.
And finally, Morreale had an article up on NHL.com that talked about Nico Hischier saying that Jack Hughes (both number one overall draft picks) just needs to remain focused in his rookie season.
The advice to Hughes was just a part of an overall interview that Nico did with Morreale.
Nico mentioned that Hughes simply needs to not “be shy about playing [his] game and having fun.” He also stated that Hughes is “going to be fine” and that “(h)e’s going to be good.”
Hischier went on to talk about his goals as an NHL player for both him individually and the team. In addition, he talked about his offseason workout routine and about John Hynes’ methods of motivating both him and the team.
In an interesting question, Morreale asked Hischier which NHL award he thinks he might have the best chance of winning. Nico kind of downplayed it and said that it is more about the team, but did say that the Selke Trophy could be a goal for him due to his trying to be a good two-way forward.
Overall, it was a good interview and one definitely worth checking out on NHL.com.