The Devils acquired forward Michael Grabner from the Rangers on Thursday night for their 2018 second-round pick and defenseman prospect Yegor Rykov.

The transaction marks the first trade between the two franchises since the Devils moved to New Jersey in 1982.

Grabner was held out of Thursday's game against the Montreal Canadiens as trade talks heated up prior to Monday's 3 p.m. deadline. Devils GM Ray Shero was in Montreal on Thursday night.

Grabner will be at the Prudential Center on Friday, where the Devils will have select players participating in an optional practice. It is unclear if Grabner will skate after traveling from Montreal.

The 30-year-old forward played the last two seasons with the Rangers, where he has 52 goals in 135 games. Over the course of his NHL career, he has 156 goals and 88 assists while playing for the Vancouver Canucks, New York Islanders, Toronto Maple Leafs and Rangers.

Rykov was taken 132nd overall during the 2016 NHL Draft. The 20-year-old blue liner has two goals and 12 assists in 51 games this season with SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL. The Devils have six picks remaining in the 2018 NHL Draft. They don't have their second or third rounders, but they own Calgary's fifth round pick in addition to their own.

Grabner immediately brings a strong goal-scoring option for the Devils, who have only one other 20-goal scorer this season. Taylor Hall scored his 26th of the season on Thursday night.

The right wing has a lefty shot and adds another option to a team that has relied on various scoring options all season. The Devils are also playing without several injured forwards, with Marcus Johansson, Brian Gibbons, John Quenneville and Drew Stafford currently out.

The Rangers were in full sell mode after declaring their intentions to get younger and faster earlier in February, meaning they were looking to shed some of their expiring contracts and older players.

Grabner will be an unrestricted free agent after the season. He is in the final season of a two-year, $3.3 million deal, which carried a $1.65 millions AAV.

Ray Shero hasn't been in the market for expiring contracts since arriving with the Devils, but Grabner gives them some short-term fire power and offense to help them down the stretch, where they will aim to break a five-season playoff drought.

Chris Ryan may be reached at cryan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisRyan_NJ. Find NJ.com Devils on Facebook.