Devils trade with Rangers?

Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports 

The New Jersey Devils figured that they were likely to make a trade before the deadline to improve their surprising chances of making the playoffs (they are the seventh seed right now), but few figured they would make a trade with the rival New York Rangers.
After all, the two teams had never made a trade since the Colorado Rockies moved to New Jersey and became the Devils in 1982, so who would expect it to happen now, even with the Rangers well out of the playoff picture.

Well, there is always a first time and the Devils acquired veteran right winger Michael Grabner from the Rangers for a second-round draft pick in the 2018 draft along with Russian defenseman Yegor Rykov to upgrade their forwards.
Grabner has scored 25 goals for the Rangers this season and interestingly only one of those goals comes from the power play.
What Grabner adds is speed- as in lots of it.
Grabner should slot in on a wing of the Devils fastest line, which to me would be with Miles Wood and Pavel Zacha and should add the type of finisher at even strength that particular line has lacked,
The thirty-year-old Grabner is likely a rental unless the Devils try to re-sign him as he is a free agent at the end of the season, but with the amount of cap space the team has, the Devils could make a run at retaining Grabner should they choose to go in that direction.

The cost for Grabner wasn't overly excessive, the second rounder going into a rival's pocket isn't preferred, but it's the cost of doing business and you don't upgrade talent without giving something away.
As for Rykov, he's a 20 year old defenseman that is playing well (2 goals, 12 assists +13 in 51 games) in the KHL and was a Devils 5th round pick in 2016, so he's a nice prospect, but not a standout one.

I haven't watched as many games recently as I should be. but with Grabner's career with the Rangers and Islanders, I've seen a lot of his career and I feel pretty comfortable talking about his skills.
Grabner is going to help the Devils, I think it will be quickly and I think he's going to make a huge difference in stretch drive action.
I'll try to watch more hockey soon, Rachel still is in mourning over Adam Henrique and I haven't felt the same way watching without her, but I'm starting to feel the energy return a bit.

Still plenty to write this weekend with boxing, cleaning of the inboxes for both sports and non-sports and maybe something else as well.