Penguins Must Move on From Struggling Defenseman

Pittsburgh Penguins' general manager and president of hockey operations, Kyle Dubas, has made some shrewd moves in his first season at the helm. The acquisition of Erik Karlsson for a first-round pick while sending out anchors of contracts like Jeff Petry, Jan Rutta, and Mikael Granlund. The re-signing of Tristan Jarry to a below-market value contract. Those are some key moves that come to mind right away.

Dubas also made some head-scratching decisions, like giving three depth forwards well over 30 years of age multi-year contracts. The biggest head-scratcher, though, is the signing of defender Ryan Graves.

The headliner of the Penguins 2023 free agent class, Graves has had a difficult first season in Pittsburgh. After inking a six-year contract this past summer, it was clear that Dubas brought in Graves as a defensive partner for either of his two superstar right-handed defensemen. Through nearly an entire regular season, however, it's even more evident that Graves is not a suitable partner for either Kris Letang or Karlsson. With no clear spot for him, the Penguins must find a way to get out of this contract. 

Good Player, Bad Fit

Part of the reason Graves is struggling in Pittsburgh is through no fault of his own. Simply put, the fit between Graves and the Penguins is ill-fitting. The style of game he plays is, in theory, one that should align with the Penguins' style.

In the season before arriving in Pittsburgh, Graves played primarily in a second-pairing role with the New Jersey Devils alongside former Penguin John Marino. The pair excelled defensively despite starting over 55% of their shifts in the defensive zone. Graves also played nearly 200 minutes of penalty-killing time that season. In addition, Graves managed to post eight goals and 26 points in a contract year. 

So it makes sense that a player like Graves could help balance out one of the top pairings. The problem is that Graves excels as the main puck carrier on a defensive pairing. It was part of what made him and Marino so successful in New Jersey. Marino makes a strong first pass and excels at interrupting opposition rushes. His strengths allowed Graves to carry the puck out of trouble and push the play into the neutral and offensive zones. They were a pair that fed and read off of each other very well. 

That has hardly been the case for every one of Graves' shifts this season. Playing alongside Letang to begin the season displayed that immediately. With Letang's freewheeling style, Graves appeared out of sync immediately, often resulting in one or both of them being woefully out of place.

A switch to partnering with Karlsson illustrated the poor fit further. When Graves is paired with a more confident and competent puck mover, he is forced to be the defensive anchor of the pairing. This is when we start to see the worst of Graves.

He is a solid and capable defender but not a shutdown defender, and the Penguins seem intent on forcing him into that role. The results speak for themselves, and the only place Coach Sullivan trusts Graves is playing away from both of their two top defenders. He's averaging 

Contract Troubles

This puts the Penguins, Graves, and Dubas in a difficult position. Not only does it seem like Graves and the Penguins are incompatible, but the contract Dubas signed him to is a puzzle to maneuver around. The Penguins invested a hefty amount into Graves, with an average annual value of $4.5 million. Add in $12 million of the contract being guaranteed in signing bonuses, a deal that can't be easily moved. 

Not only does that make Graves the third highest-paid defenseman in the organization, but he also has a limited no-movement clause. According to the terms of his contract, Graves has a 12-team no-trade list for the first three seasons of his deal, which reduces to an 8-team list for the final three seasons. 

When Dubas signed this deal, he surely envisioned a steady defender in the same mold as Marcus Pettersson. And there is time for that option to pan out, should Dubas be patient. There was a time when Pettersson was on the outs after struggling. Now, Pettersson is the uncontested best defender in the organization.

Graves isn't there, but he could find his 2022 form. He could also continue to struggle playing in an organization that doesn't suit or feature his best strengths while making top-pairing money playing third-pairing minutes. 

With the team trending downward, Dubas needs to make some magic. Moving on from Graves would give the team $4.5 million in much-needed cap space and another open roster spot. This could allow younger players like P.O. Joseph and John Ludvig to earn more ice time and larger roles.

Or, if Dubas wants to retool again this summer, he'll have valuable cap space to use and an enticing crop of unrestricted free agents available. It won't be easy, and it would be admitting to a mistake, but the Penguins must move on from Graves this offseason.