Devils hold breath as Sheldon Keefe waits on Arseny Gritsyuk injury news
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Cimon Asselin
Mar 24, 2026 (11:31 PM)
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Photo credit: Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images
Arseny Gritsyuk left mid-game as Sheldon Keefe now waits on imaging after a sudden exit to the tunnel.
No big collision. No clear replay. Just gone.
That's what makes it tricky for the Devils. You're not adjusting after a heavy hit. You're reacting to uncertainty.
Gritsyuk had 31 points in 66 games, quietly locking down a middle-six role with consistent touches on the rush.
He wasn't just filling minutes either. His controlled entries were starting to drive more clean looks for his line.
Then Keefe loses him mid-rotation.
New Jersey still scored 6 goals, but the bench got stretched right away, especially in the second half of the game.
Keefe forced into quick line shuffle
Keefe didn't wait. He started juggling lines almost immediately, leaning heavier on his top six to stabilize shifts.
That creates a ripple. Ice time spikes, matchups change, and depth players suddenly face tougher assignments.
It worked on the scoreboard. But structurally, it wasn't clean.
You could see it in the spacing. Breakouts weren't as sharp, and a few shifts turned into extended time in the defensive zone.
Now the focus shifts to the bigger picture.
The Devils sit at 74 points, and every piece of secondary scoring matters in this stretch.
Gritsyuk isn't the headline name, but he plugs a real hole in the lineup. Take him out, and the forward group looks thinner fast.
Keefe confirmed he'll be evaluated with imaging before any timeline is set.
That usually points to more than a day-to-day tweak.
If he's out, New Jersey has two options. Call someone up or reshuffle internally and push a winger up the lineup.
Neither is ideal this late in the season.
Because this isn't just about one injury.
It's about whether the Devils can hold their structure if Arseny Gritsyuk isn't part of it.
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