Chiarelli offers D-man Gryba ‘job security’
Because Eric Gryba was sitting on a beach in Hawaii during this week’s free agent interview window, several interested clubs couldn’t set up any wine-and-dine meetings.
So Edmonton Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli simply swept in and made his veteran defenceman an offer he couldn’t refuse.
A two-year deal at $900,000 a season.
After coming to camp last fall on a tryout, then being one of the few NHLers on an invite to actually earn a one-year contract at $950,000, Gryba played 40 games plus three in the playoffs as the team’s No. 7 defenceman. With knee surgery to top-four defender Andrej Sekera keeping him out of the Oilers’ lineup until at least December, Gryba will likely be inserted into the third pairing with Darnell Nurse, barring the signing of a free agent from another team.
“To get two years is the real cherry on the top. You’re always looking for job security,” said Gryba, who is in Hawaii for a wedding.
“After last off-season, it was a very humbling experience. It was a weird situation. So many players being bought out and getting PTOs (professional tryout offers),” said Gryba, who fortunately had played for the Oilers the season before and wasn’t coming in cold to training camp, at least.
“He survived the challenge last year after the uncertainty and frustration of the summer,” said his agent, Rick Curran, who was waiting for a contract offer that didn’t come came last July and August.
“He’s got a dimension (as a strong penalty-killer and tough guy) and a lot of clubs asked about him (recently), but he was travelling, so we weren’t able to set up any interviews."
Gryba, a right-handed shot, was a utility player for the Oilers last season. He averaged 16 minutes a game, killed penalties and choked off the cycle with his 228 pounds.
“I should have an opportunity to play a lot of games at the start of the year,” he said.
He’s very comfortable in his role, and he’s one of the most popular guys in the Oilers’ dressing room. Local product Spencer Foo has inked a two-year deal with the Calgary Flames rather than signing with his hometown Oilers, the Detroit Red Wings or the expansion Vegas Golden Knights.
It was looking pretty crowded on the Oilers’ right wing for the 23-year-old Foo (Union College).
With Leon Draisaitl possibly playing right wing with Connor McDavid this coming season instead of centre, and Ryan Strome behind him as the No. 2 RW, the likes of Zack Kassian and possibly Jesse Puljujarvi on the roster, and the drafting of Kailer Yamamoto, the Oilers are deep with young players in that position.
Calgary has Troy Brouwer, Michael Frolik and Curtis Lazar on their depth chart at right wing as of today.
“Spencer felt the opportunity in Calgary was too good to pass up,” Foo’s agent Michael Kaye said in a text message.
THIS ’N’ THAT
The New York Islanders will likely announce this weekend that Kelly Buchberger is being hired as Doug Weight’s assistant coach. Buchberger is the Oilers’ vice-president of player development, but he wasn’t at their draft table in Chicago. His Oilers contract runs out June 30. Senior director Rick Carriere could move up the ladder to replace Buchberger ... The Oilers traded the third-round pick they received from Vancouver (for Philip Larsen) to move up and take local goalie Stuart Skinner at No. 78. After Skinner’s good work at Hockey Canada’s junior camp, they were concerned somebody was going to jump on him before them ... If the Oil Kings knew for sure that the Oilers’ fourth-round pick, 6-foot-5 right winger Ostap Safin, wanted to come to North America from the Czech Republic at age 18, they would take him in the CHL import draft. But they don’t know that ... Longtime employee James MacGregor, one of the Oilers’ amateur scouts, might not be back next season ... Unless Russian centre Bogdan Yakimov, who didn’t want to play on the Oilers farm team and went back to the KHL, has told the team he wants to return to North America this season, qualifying him to keep his rights seems a strange move. He has six goals and 15 points in 61 KHL games over the last two seasons.