Devils’ Arseny Gritsyuk to miss next two games with upper-body injury

A top youngster is going to be out of action this weekend.

When speaking to the media on Friday, New Jersey Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe announced that forward Arseny Gritsyuk will not be in the lineup for the team’s matchup against the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday, followed by a meeting with the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday, due to an upper-body injury.

It’s not exactly clear when Gritsyuk was hurt. He registered 19:44 of ice time, leading all Devils forwards, in an 8-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night.

The 24-year-old has been having a very promising rookie campaign. In playing each of New Jersey’s first 31 games this season, he has posted seven goals and nine assists for 16 points, including a three-point effort in a victory over the Ottawa Senators this past Tuesday. He has a plus/minus of -3 while averaging 15:06 of ice time.

Gritsyuk joins an injury list in the Garden State that features a couple of prominent names. Evgenii Dadonov was placed on injured reserve on Thursday, joining star forward Jack Hughes, who hasn’t played since suffering a freak dinner accident in November. Also, Timo Meier is on a leave of absence to tend to a family health matter.

The Krasnoyarsk, Russia native is on a one-year, entry-level contract, which he signed this past May. The 2019 fifth-round pick had become one of the prominent scoring threats with SKA St. Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League. After posting 38 points in 50 games during the 2023-24 season, Gritsyuk posted a career-high 44 points this past season, notching 17 goals and 27 assists in 49 games.

The Devils (17-13-1) are sixth in the Metropolitan Division, sitting just outside of a Wild Card spot.