Eric Gryba suffered an injury this past Tuesday night that will keep him out for at least a month according to Todd McLellan. That means Gryba, a veteran defender who is a pending UFA, will not be moved by the club at the upcoming NHL trade deadline.
The injury, in hindsight, might not matter in terms of his availability. TSN1260’s Dustin Nielson tweet out the following on Wednesday, saying that Edmonton has interest in bringing the veteran back.
Oilers are interested in extending Gryba, at this point preliminary discussions have been had and talks will continue.
— Dustin Nielson (@nielsonTSN1260) February 18, 2016
This shouldn’t come as a surprise to many people. Peter Chiarelli brought Gryba here and he fits the style of player that Chiarelli likes to have. He’s been a good solider in the locker room by all accounts, and Todd McLellan likes the player.
As a third pairing defender, I like the player too, he’s a perfect number six or seven defender for any team. He’s an honest player who defends quite well and brings that physical edge to the lineup. Not to mention, but Gryba is a solid penalty killer too, a valuable member of that unit.
He has his faults, for example he really struggles moving the puck and isn’t an overly quick defender, but overall he is a solid player who fits the third pairing, stay-at-home role perfectly.
In terms of what a new deal could look like, I’d imagine a one or two year pact that comes in slightly below $2 M annually will work. Gryba is a complimentary piece, so a slight upgrade on his current $1.250 M per year should be within the range. In all honesty, a two year pact at $1.8 M per sits just fine with me.
Edmonton looking into re-signing this player gives us our first glimpse at the 2016-17 Edmonton Oilers. They are looking to keep their tough depth defender, which is a move I can get behind. If Gryba stays, that means someone else will need to go on defense in order for the Oilers to pick up their upgrade this summer.
Regardless, interesting tidbit of information that we should be watching for as the moves begin to happen.
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