Edmonton Oilers acquire forward Jayden Grubbe

The Edmonton Oilers have made a move Wednesday morning acquiring forward Jayden Grubbe from the New York Rangers.

The Oilers have sent their 2023 5th round draft pick for Grubbe’s rights. The team now has just three draft picks this year, one each in round two, six and seven.

Grubbe, 20, is a six-foot-three, 203 lb. center who was taken by the Rangers in the third round of the 2019 draft. Unsigned by them, he was reportedly made available for a trade in April and needs to sign an NHL contract by Thursday, or he heads back into the draft for a second time.

Oilersnation’s Jason Gregor reports the team is expected to sign him.

The Rangers made Grubbe available in a trade back in April, DailyFaceoff’s Frank Seravalli reported.

Captaining the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels for the past three seasons, Grubbe appeared in 64 games last year scoring 18 goals and 67 points. In the WHL playoffs, he scored two goals and 14 points in 12 games.

Scouting reports say that Grubbe is a strong defensive, checking forward. He’s clearly got some offence to his game given his production this past season.

When it comes to Grubbe, EliteProspects say “if there’s a defining skill here, it’s Grubbe’s defence.”

”He’s less aggressive, and more quietly intelligent, eliminating off-puck threats, reading switch offs, and constantly scanning and adjusting,” they said in their 2021 draft guide. “In transition, he builds speed under the puck, pushes plays to the middle, and finishes his off-puck routes to create space behind him.”

Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.