Can Arseny Gritsyuk Keep His Scoring Hot Streak Alive for the Devils?

Arseny Gritsyuk has eight goals in 15 games for the New Jersey Devils this season.

That puts him on pace for 44 goals over an 84-game schedule.

Only five Devils players in franchise history have ever scored that many in a season.

The 24-year-old winger did not start the year on the top lines.

He began the 2026-27 campaign on the third line.

Through the first five games, he had just one goal and one assist.

Then everything changed.

In Game 6, head coach Sheldon Keefe moved Gritsyuk onto a line with Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt.

The results were immediate.

Gritsyuk scored five goals in his next five games.

He added two more against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Over his last nine games, he has seven goals and three assists.

That is a 65-goal pace over a full season.

He is currently shooting 22.2%.

The league average for forwards is typically around 9-11%.

That number is almost certainly unsustainable.

Shooters go cold in the NHL.

It happens to every player, every season.

But there are reasons to believe Gritsyuk might keep scoring at a higher clip than his rookie year.

The biggest reason is his linemates.

Jack Hughes is one of the most dynamic playmakers in the league.

Jesper Bratt is a high-end passer who creates chances off the rush.

Both players are known for setting up teammates rather than finishing themselves.

On that line, Gritsyuk has become the designated shooter.

Let Bratt and Hughes feed him pucks, and he has shown he can finish.

The extra ice time also helps.

Playing on the second line instead of the third means more shifts and more minutes.

More minutes mean more shot attempts.

More shot attempts mean more goals, even if the shooting percentage drops.

Gritsyuk signed a three-year contract with a $3.5 million cap hit after his rookie season.

In his first North American season, he posted 13 goals and 18 assists for 31 points in 66 games.

That was a solid debut for a bargain price.

But he had never scored 20 goals in any professional league outside of junior hockey.

His KHL career showed flashes of skill but not elite goal-scoring volume.

Now he is on pace to shatter his own career high before the All-Star break.

The question is whether he can sustain it.

If the offense slows, Keefe may move him back to the third line.

That would reduce his minutes and his opportunities.

The wear and tear of a full NHL season is another factor.

Gritsyuk has never played this many high-leverage minutes before.

His body will be tested in ways it has not been in the KHL or as a rookie.

The Devils are currently 10-5-0, sitting near the top of the Metropolitan Division.

They face the St. Louis Blues on Thursday, November 5, 2026, at Prudential Center.

Puck drop is at 7:00 PM EST.

Gritsyuk will be on the second line again, alongside Hughes and Bratt.

The Blues have a 7-7-1 record and have struggled to find consistency.

But they have defensive players who can disrupt a hot shooter.

If Gritsyuk gets shut down, it will not mean the streak is over.

It will just mean one cold night.

The real test comes over the next 20 games.

If he is still scoring at a 30-plus goal pace by December, then the conversation changes.

For now, the Devils will take what they can get.

A $3.5 million winger producing like a top-line scorer is exactly what the team needs.