The wheeling and dealing continues down in Florida. The Edmonton Oilers have acquired D Eric Gryba from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for F Travis Ewanyk and the 107th overall pick, previously acquired for Martin Marincin from Toronto.
First off, let’s say this; the odds that pick 107 turn out are very slim, so I have no problem moving it. On top of that, Travis Ewanyk is not a prospect with NHL aspirations at this point. He’s a good checker at the AHL level, but he hasn’t scored nearly enough to get NHL recognition.
As for Gryba, this is a depth defender and nothing more. He’s a big guy, standing in at 6’4” 222 pounds, and plays a physical style. Gryba throws his body around quite a bit, and is looked at as a tough to play against guy.
That said, Gryba doesn’t provide much offense. He scored only 12 points, all assists, this past season in just 75 games. In 2013-14, Gryba scored eleven points in 57 games.
His HERO chart suggests a player who will provide a minimal impact.
Ice time suggests a bottom-pairing defender, while generating shots clearly is not Gryba’s strong suit. Suppressing shots, he checks out as a high-level third-pairing guy, while his individual scoring and SOG rates check out as a top-four guy.
Gryba is a role player, a solid and tough third-pairing defender, but nothing more. No doubt, he replaces Martin Marincin on Edmonton’s blue-line.
Oilers’ play-by-play broadcaster Jack Michaels suggests that Gryba and Griffin Reinhart will be Edmonton’s third pairing come opening night.
More to come as it happens.
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