Observations:

December 2016 – The trade the Sabres made to acquire Derek Grant, along with Cole Schneider, has turned into much more than they expected. Schneider is one of the AHL’s top scorers and Derek Grant has been with the NHL team for the entire season, so far. Derek Grant has secured himself as one of the Sabres consistent penalty killers and has earned the trust of the coaches by being put out on the ice during key situations when the Sabres need help with a man down. His aggression and strength along the boards are terrific qualities to have whenever a man down. Max Marko

July 2016 – Derek Grant has signed a one-year, two-way contract worth $650K in the NHL and $400K in the AHL. Paul Zwambag

January 2016 – Grant is the only player from the Heat to be named to the AHL All-Star Team. He showed his abilities against the Wild on Jan 17th by grabbing four points (1g, 3a) in a dominating win.

January 2016 – Grant was an offensive force for Stockton in the month of Dec (6g, 5a in 11games). This is a dominant effort which included a team leading 51 shots. You do the math. 51 shots in 11 games in monstrous. Pretty decent for a two-way forward. Joel Henderson

November 2015 – While updates have been sparse for this current NHL player, he has found a way to stick with the Flames currently. While he's been exactly as advertised as a defensive NHL forward in the first nine games, his fantasy value remains non existent. Joel Henderson

March 2015 – Grant continues to be a solid player on the AHL level, providing leadership as well as primary scoring at even strength and on the man advantage.  After his 20 game cup of coffee with the NHL club in 2013-2014, Grant has yet to crack the Sens roster in 2014-15. As a responsible defensive forward, the former Michigan State Spartan slots into a bottom-six role at the NHL level moving forward.  An exceptional penalty killer, Grant will look to carve out his niche with the Senators as a hard working responsible forward that is capable of providing secondary scoring.  Although that type of role player is very important to an NHL teams success, he won’t be cracking your fantasy lineup anytime soon. Kevin LeBlanc

December 2013 – Derek Grant has been sent back down to Binghamton of the AHL after a successful stint with the Senators. Although the B.C.-native only tallied two assists in his 20 games with the Sens, he was a valued addition to the penalty kill. Even though it’s very likely Grant gets the call back to the big leagues this season, it’s unlikely that he’ll post any valuable fantasy numbers. Grant plays a simple and conservative game, which is valuable to a team but not to your fantasy roster. – Nathan Martin

October 2013 – Derek Grant was recalled by the Ottawa Senators. In four games with Ottawa, Grant has seen limited minutes but is playing a simple and effective style. Unlike other Sens prospects (i.e. Da Costa, Petersson, Stone), Grant doesn’t need to score to be effective.  Slotting on the fourth line with Colin Greening and Erik Condra seems to be a good fit for Grant but it would be unrealistic to expect any notable offensive output. Nathan Martin

March 2013 – Grant looks very close to grabbing a lower line role for the Senators. ‘Poolies’ would like to see more offence in the AHL, but he is very involved in games, responsible and is an excellent penalty killer. I would not suggest he would be valuable in many fantasy formats, but future owners may use him confidently in deep leagues for faceoff wins and short-handed points. (He currently has five shorthanded AHL goals this season) In seeing him play, he is very much one of those lower line workhorse and smart players that coaches and fans love, and could become one of those guys many teams seek in late season additions for playoff depth, but like Chris Neil, Ottawa may never let him move. He is a ‘dark horse’ to secure a roster spot next year but he should be viewed as very much in the plans. Jason Banks

July 2012 – Derek Grant is an offensive forward with good size. In two seasons with the Langley Chiefs of the BCHL, Grant scored 49 goals and added 74 assists in 96 games. With Michigan State of the NCAA, Grant put up 63 points in 76 games in his two years with the team. After his sophomore season, Grant signed with the Senators and was inserted into the AHL lineup to end the season. In his first full pro season in 2011-2012, Grant showed he needs more time to grasp the pro game as he recorded only 23 points in 60 games. While he is not a physical player, his size allows him to compete at both ends of the rink. Grant will look to take the next step offensively in the AHL this season. Evan Hotham

Fantasy Outlook: D+

Unlikely to provide offense at the NHL level.

Footage:

Grant in development camp, 2011 (Team Red – 57)

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