Ryan Graves Checklist: New & Improved, Or Problem?

Ryan Graves has assumed the unpopular role among the Pittsburgh Penguins fanbase. The big defenseman struggled in his first season with the Penguins after signing a six-year free agent deal, and everyone from president of hockey operations/GM Kyle Dubas to coach Mike Sullivan challenged the defenseman to raise his game.

Dubas specifically singled out Graves following last season as a player who needed to work harder in the summer and be better in his sophomore Penguins season, taking away the adjustment period as an excuse. Sullivan eventually put Graves in the press box as a healthy scratch before Graves suffered a late-season concussion that kept him out of the lineup regardless of the coach’s choice.

Graves’s lineup spot is not safe this season, either. There is significant depth, and talented defensemen eagerly await their chance should Graves not meet standards. Ryan Shea, Sebastian Aho, and even 2022 first-round pick Owen Pickering are immediately available.

In fact, Sullivan laid real praise on Shea Thursday night.

“I think Ryan Shea has had a great camp. He played really well (Thursday). I think he’s played extremely well throughout the camp,” Sullivan said. “When you look at some of the games that he’s played in, he’s played against a lot of NHL rosters. He was in Detroit when Detroit had an NHL roster and is playing again tonight against a legitimate NHL roster. I thought he handled it extremely well.”

And much will reside on Graves’s shoulders. At 6-foot-5, 220 pounds, the Penguins expect things to go no further. Specifically, they expect the D-man they signed as a younger replacement for LHD Brian Dumoulin, who departed via free agency in 2023, to nullify plays and squelch the opposition.

When PHN asked, Sullivan firmly went down the checklist for Graves.

“(He’s at his best) when he’s ending plays in our end or getting the puck stopped- using his size and his reach- to end plays. When he makes simple out with passes,” said Sullivan. “When his gaps are really good through the neutral zone, (he) makes the entries difficult because of his reach. Because of his size, he can squelch a lot of rushes, especially early, because of his wingspan, and just (making) simple plays with the puck.”

But the million dollar question–or, as in this case, $27 million–will Graves be able to adjust to the Penguins game and play tighter gaps? Columbus’s first goal Friday night was not a ringing endorsement of that adjustment. Graves had help over the top as Columbus faced a three-on-four rush, yet it quickly became a short break away as Graves, Evgeni Malkin, and Rickard Rakell participated in a free skate.

The Penguins’ first preseason game against the Buffalo Sabres was more of a case of bug meets windshield. Buffalo dressed its NHL lineup in preparation for soon departing for Prague and NHL games that mattered, while the Penguins had a lineup of Jesse Puljujarvi, Graves, and newbies.

Since then, Graves played in a few preseason games.

“I think it’s been getting better. Obviously, your first game, your timing’s off, things like that, but it’s always the process you’re working on–Working on things like gaps, just working on having a good stick,” Graves told PHN. “Like (Sullivan) said, I need to be someone who is able to shut down the plays in the offensive zone and get stops. You don’t want teams to be constantly in motion around you, and you just have to find ways to make that difficult.”

There’s no question that Graves understands the task, and it’s refreshing to talk with someone in the locker room who is forthcoming and at ease with it. Graves seems more comfortable this season, but the real tests will begin Wednesday in the regular season, assuming Graves is in the lineup.

In fairness, the game Friday against Columbus was not the tightest checking, most intense game of the preseason, and it lacked the urgency of a regular-season game. Still, Harrison Brunicke showed the benefit of tight gaps on the puck carrier. Graves had ample time and opportunity to do the same against the rush, but his large gap allowed the rush and, ultimately, the goal.

There are also video examples of Graves playing tight to the puck, nullifying possession, including about 20 seconds before the goal.

It’s not an insignificant question for either Graves’s future or the Penguins’ season. He was both a significant free agent signing and expected to fill a significant role.

Coach and player are on the same page, and even if Shea slots ahead of Graves to begin the season, Graves will find himself in the Penguins lineup again sooner or later. His lengthy contract and struggles have negated any trade value, so both sides are stuck with each other, and now it’s a matter of making it work.

There’s perhaps no greater issue to solve for the Penguins season.