The Devils made an acquisition to bolster the blue line ahead of next week's NHL Expansion Draft and Saturday's trade freeze.
The team landed defenseman Ryan Graves from the Avalanche in exchange for forward prospect Mikhail Maltsev and a second-round pick in the upcoming NHL Draft.
Graves, 26, scored two goals and 13 assists in 54 games with the Avalanche last season. He added six points in 10 games in this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs.
"Ryan brings physicality, size, an ability to defend in tough situations and a fearless compete level that makes him tough to play against," general manager Tom Fitzgerald said in a statement.
"His assertive style of play and ability to play with young defensemen are characteristics that fit into what we are building with our group.”
The 6-foot-5, 220-pound Graves is owed $3.17 million in each of the next two seasons. The Devils still have more than $31 million in cap space, according to CapFriendly.
Graves is a left-shot defenseman who was used heavily as a penalty killer in Colorado. Last season, he led the Avs in short-handed time per game, ranked first in blocked shots (91) and second in hits (77). He averaged a career-best 19 minutes, three seconds of ice time last season while playing in a loaded defensive group.
Maltsev scored six goals and three assists in 33 games with New Jersey after being taken by the Devils in the fourth round in 2016.
