Devils Arseni Gritsyuk Makes Big Sacrifice to Benefit KHL Club

New Jersey Devils fans are rightfully excited to get their hands on Russian prospect Arseni Gritsyuk. The 23-year-old has made a name for himself as one of the better forwards overseas, changing the tune of many from long-shot NHL prospect to a forward with legitimate NHL potential. This summer, Gritsyuk made a huge sacrifice, taking a pay cut so SKA St. Petersburg could add significant talent.

In news that made a splash in both the NHL and KHL worlds, former Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes forward Evgeny Kuznetsov terminated the final year of his contract in North America. He then signed a four-year contract with SKA St. Petersburg.

Kuznetsov’s KHL contract is worth about 92 million rubles per season, which converts to about $1 million US. He has the opportunity to earn more through bonuses. Kuznetsov is now also one of the highest paid players throughout the KHL.

Two additional significant SKA signings in the offseason — who are also former NHLers —  were Nikita Zaitsev and Mikhail Grigorenko.

All that money had to come from somewhere, and it came in the form of a voluntary pay cut from Devils prospect Arseni Gritsyuk.

With some help in translation by Hockey News Hub, Gritsyuk explained his thought process.

“There was an option that Kuznetsov would come to our team,” Gritsyuk explained to Match.tv. “And it turned out that I agreed to a salary reduction. Probably, it is good for the club. And I hope that in a year it will come back to me. Because there are such thoughts that, perhaps, I will leave. And so that everything will work out normally.”

Gritsyuk was set to earn 60 million rubles next season. However, after terminating his contract to take less money, he then signed a one-year deal for 12 million rubles, per MatchTV. That’s an over $500K US sacrifice.

Gritsyuk went on to explain that he made the sacrifice with the Gagarin Cup in mind, knowing that if he and SKA St. Petersburg win the KHL championship, he will earn back some of what he gave up in bonuses.

Winning the Gagarin Cup wasn’t the only motivation for Gritsyuk to take a pay cut, either. Kuznetsov is coming to the KHL after a long and successful NHL career, capturing the Stanley Cup in 2018 with the Capitals and accruing $61,747,884 in career earnings.

Following the 2024-25 KHL season, Gritsyuk is expected to cross the pond and begin his North American professional career. Therefore, the Devils prospect wants to soak in as much as he can while alongside the former Stanley Cup Champion.

“It is immediately obvious that the guy is skilled, that he is equipped a little differently,” said Gritsyuk of Kuznetsov. “He has a very high level, and I want to take some details, moments from him. I will try to work more with him. Kuznetsov has already seen a lot. I think he can teach us a lot. And give us a lot of experience as a team.”

Gritsyuk explained that Kuznetsov is his childhood idol. However, that shouldn’t take away from the fact that Gritsyuk’s sacrifice makes him the ultimate team player.

The NHL has stricter rules in terms of terminating/restructuring contracts. So, although he might not have the ability to make this type of sacrifice for his future North American teammates, there’s little doubt the Devils are getting a good one in Arseni Gritsyuk.

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