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Pittsburgh Penguins send Ryan Graves to Wilkes-Barre, recall Alexander Alexeyev
Photo credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Dave Molinari sent the signal, Ryan Graves to Wilkes-Barre, Alexander Alexeyev up, and Pittsburgh's $4.5 million cap puzzle just got louder.
Graves is a left-shot regular on a six-year deal that runs through 2028-29 at a $4.5 million AAV, and he has 1-0-1 in 19 NHL games this season.
Alexeyev is 26, a 2018 first-round pick by the Washington Capitals, and Pittsburgh signed him to a one-year, $775,000 contract last July.
This is the why in plain hockey, Graves needs game reps on puck retrievals, exits, and defensive-zone reads. Alexeyev gives Dan Muse a fresh depth option for the next game.
The Penguins are 32-17-15 and play at Vegas on Thursday, so this is not a quiet paper move. It is roster construction under stress, with every blue-line spot being judged nightly.
Graves cleared waivers back in October and has already bounced between Pittsburgh and Wilkes-Barre, which tells you the organization has been searching for a clean fit for months.
Alexeyev is not arriving as a savior. He is arriving as a cheaper, simpler option who can keep the pairings moving and avoid the big mistake.
Ryan Graves is skating for his job in Pittsburgh
Fans are going to read this as one more sign that Dubas still has not solved the left side, and honestly, that read is fair.
If Graves finds his game in Wilkes-Barre, Pittsburgh gets a useful third-pair body back for the stretch. If not, that contract stays in every deadline conversation.
That is why this move matters more than one recall line on a transaction wire. It points straight at the next Penguins question, who actually earns those minutes when the games tighten up?
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| POLL | ||
MARS 12|58 ANSWERS Pittsburgh Penguins send Ryan Graves to Wilkes-Barre, recall Alexander Alexeyev Should Kyle Dubas keep betting on Ryan Graves for the Pittsburgh Penguins blue line? | ||
| Yes | 16 | 27.6 % |
| No | 42 | 72.4 % |
| List of polls | ||