Pittsburgh Hockey Insider has no direct affiliation to the Pittsburgh Penguins, NHL or NHLPA
Original Six team urged to claim or trade for Penguins defenseman Ryan Graves
Photo credit: Edit from PensBurgh
The Detroit Red Wings are being urged by NHL analyst Bob Heyrman to look into either claiming Ryan Graves off waivers or maybe even trading for him.
The Pittsburgh Penguins placed veteran defenseman Ryan Graves on waivers yesterday, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
Graves, for the second time this season, will pass through the waiver process, although the first instance was unclaimed.
The necessary moves had to be made for the Penguins' addition of Yegor Chinakhov, who was brought over from the Columbus Blue Jackets.
What Ryan Graves would bring to Detroit
Graves offers Detroit an opportunity to strengthen its blue line, according to NHL analyst Bob Heyrman. Detroit has struggled to find depth amongst its defensive pairs, the third line included.
"Despite these limitations, Graves' experience and durability remain valuable assets for teams like Detroit seeking stability on the back end."
- Bob Heyrman
- Bob Heyrman
At the tender age of 30, Graves is a left-handed shooter and a stay-at-home defenseman with extensive experience in shot-blocking and defending.
Why it's not all positive with Ryan Graves
Unfortunately, Graves has little to offer up front, with only one goal and one point through 17 games played.
Pairing him up with a young, sound defensive pair that is still growing, like Albert Johansson, could mask some of the issues he faces when it comes to agility and puck skills.
He could stabilize Detroit's always-rotating third pair, penalty kill, and give young players a breather.
Travis Hamonic's stint with the Detroit Red Wings has been underwhelming, and Graves' acquisition is expected to take his place.
Graves comes with a cap hit of $4.5 million until the 2028-29 season and is expected to commit to a role on the third-pairing defense core. This would be quite an investment on the part of Detroit, but they have space on the cap.
Picking up Graves will not require any draft picks to be lost if they do it through waivers.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 31 | 148 ANSWERS Original Six team urged to claim or trade for Penguins defenseman Ryan Graves Would you be disappointed if Ryan Graves went to the Red Wings? | ||
| Yes | 12 | 8.1 % |
| No | 136 | 91.9 % |
| List of polls | ||