Denis Grebeshkov

Denis Sergeyevich Grebeshkov (; born October 11, 1983) is a Russian former professional ice hockey defenceman who last played for Vityaz Podolsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He has previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Los Angeles Kings, New York Islanders, Edmonton Oilers and Nashville Predators, the former which drafted him in the first round, 18th overall, in the 2002 NHL entry draft.

Playing career Professional

Grebeshkov was a first-round selection, 18th overall, by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2002 NHL entry draft. He was traded to the New York Islanders on March 8, 2006, along with Jeff Tambellini, in exchange for Mark Parrish and Brent Sopel. Having been unable to come to a contract agreement with the Islanders, Grebeshkov returned to Russia to play with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl for the 2006–07 season.

On February 18, 2007, Grebeshkov's rights were traded to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for defenceman Marc-André Bergeron and a third-round draft pick in 2008.

On July 1, 2007, the Oilers signed Grebeshkov to a one-year contract. He started the 2007–08 season on the Oilers' roster and played his first Oilers game against the Detroit Red Wings on October 8, 2007. On February 19, 2008, Grebeshkov scored the 8,000th goal in Oilers history in a 5–4 loss to the Nashville Predators.

On July 21, 2009, the Oilers re-signed Grebeshkov to a one-year, $3.15 million contract extension just prior to a scheduled salary arbitration hearing. In the 2009–10 season, Grebeshkov's slow start was exacerbated after he suffered a knee injury during a 3–1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on November 13, which sidelined him for a month.

On March 1, 2010, the Oilers traded Grebeshkov to the Nashville Predators in exchange for a second-round draft pick in 2010. On March 2, he scored a goal in his Predators debut in a 4–3 win, ironically coming against the Oilers. In just his fourth game with the Predators, Grebeshkov took a shot in the groin against the Vancouver Canucks. Though he continued to play following the blocked shot, he required emergency surgery on one of his testicles following the game, causing him to miss the remainder of the regular season. Grebeshkov was cleared to play prior to Game 2 of the Predators' Western Conference Quarter-final match-up against the Chicago Blackhawks. However, he was a healthy scratch for Games 2, 3 and 4 as Predators head coach Barry Trotz elected to play rookie Cody Franson in his place. Grebeshkov made his Stanley Cup playoff debut in Game 5, registering two assists in the 5–4 Predators loss.

After becoming a free agent on July 1, 2010, Grebeshkov signed a two-year deal with SKA St. Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), four weeks later. He noted that he wanted to stay in the NHL and received several offers, but the offers he received were for 30% to 40% lower than his 2009–10 salary, and he did not want to take that drastic of a pay cut.

On July 18, 2013, Grebeshkov signed a one-year deal with the Oilers, returning to Edmonton after three years of playing in Russia. Although he made the Oilers’ initial 2013–14 season roster, Grebeshkov ultimately failed to cement a role on the team's blueline, and was subsequently assigned to Edmonton's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Oklahoma City Barons, for the majority of the season.

On May 14, 2014, Grebeshkov, as a free agent, opted to return to the KHL, signing a contract with Vityaz Podolsk.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1999–2000 Torpedo–2 Yaroslavl RUS.3 42 2 1 3 12 — — — — — 2000–01 Lokomotiv–2 Yaroslavl RUS.3 34 7 2 9 20 — — — — — 2001–02 Lokomotiv–2 Yaroslavl RUS.3 7 1 1 2 2 — — — — — 2001–02 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl RSL 27 1 2 3 10 — — — — — 2002–03 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl RSL 48 0 7 7 26 10 0 1 1 2 2003–04 Manchester Monarchs AHL 43 2 7 9 34 6 0 1 1 6 2003–04 Los Angeles Kings NHL 4 0 1 1 0 — — — — — 2004–05 Manchester Monarchs AHL 75 5 44 49 87 6 0 4 4 2 2005–06 Los Angeles Kings NHL 8 0 2 2 12 — — — — — 2005–06 Manchester Monarchs AHL 48 2 25 27 59 — — — — — 2005–06 New York Islanders NHL 21 0 3 3 8 — — — — — 2005–06 Bridgeport Sound Tigers AHL — — — — — 7 1 1 2 8 2006–07 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl RSL 47 8 8 16 79 7 0 2 2 6 2007–08 Edmonton Oilers NHL 71 3 15 18 22 — — — — — 2008–09 Edmonton Oilers NHL 72 7 32 39 38 — — — — — 2009–10 Edmonton Oilers NHL 47 6 13 19 26 — — — — — 2009–10 Nashville Predators NHL 4 1 1 2 6 2 0 2 2 0 2010–11 SKA St. Petersburg KHL 54 8 9 17 44 11 0 5 5 12 2011–12 SKA St. Petersburg KHL 46 0 8 8 51 6 0 2 2 2 2012–13 SKA St. Petersburg KHL 14 0 1 1 8 — — — — — 2012–13 HC Yugra KHL 30 0 8 8 14 — — — — — 2013–14 Edmonton Oilers NHL 7 0 1 1 2 — — — — — 2013–14 Oklahoma City Barons AHL 39 2 7 9 20 — — — — — 2014–15 Vityaz Podolsk KHL 52 1 10 11 28 — — — — — AHL totals 205 11 83 94 200 19 1 6 7 16 NHL totals 234 17 68 85 114 2 0 2 2 0 KHL totals 196 9 36 45 145 17 0 7 7 14

International Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM 2001 Russia WJC 7th 7 2 1 3 0 2001 Russia WJC18 6 1 3 4 0 2002 Russia WJC 7 1 2 3 0 2003 Russia WJC 6 0 2 2 6 2007 Russia WC 9 1 2 3 0 2008 Russia WC 9 0 6 6 2 2009 Russia WC 9 0 2 2 2 2010 Russia OG 6th 4 0 1 1 2 2010 Russia WC 9 1 0 1 0 2011 Russia WC 4th 2 0 0 0 0 Junior totals 26 4 8 12 6 Senior totals 42 2 11 13 6