Penguins place Graves on waivers
Associated Press
Ryan Graves was Pittsburgh Penguins General Manager Kyle Dubas’ first big signing.
Now he’s being jettisoned to the minor leagues.
Graves, a defenseman, was placed on waivers Saturday.
If he clears, which is likely, he’ll be assigned to Pittsburgh’s AHL affiliate, Wilkes-Barre Scranton.
Graves signed a 6-year, $27 million contract in 2023, but struggled to find his footing in Pittsburgh.
Forwards Boko Imama, Rafael Harvey-Pinard and Sam Poulin and defenseman Alex Alexeyev were also placed on waivers as the Penguins had to trim their roster to 23 players prior to Tuesday’s season opener at the New York Rangers.
The Penguins kept two junior-aged players, defenseman Harrison Brunicke, a second round pick in 2024 and forward Benjamin Kindel, who was one of three first-round selections by the Penguins in this summer’s draft.
Brunicke and Kindel can appear in nine NHL games before the Penguins have to make a decision to keep them on the roster for the entire year or send them back to their respective junior hockey teams in Canada.