Ryan Graves has himself a new contract. After spending the last year with the New Jersey Devils, he has signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Graves is locked in for the next six years and has an AAV of $4.5 million.
#pens announce Ryan Graves is 6 x $4.5 million.@DailyFaceoff
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) July 1, 2023
Graves Signs With Pittsburgh Penguins
The Ryan Graves contract is official. An original draft pick for the New York Rangers, he broke into the league with the Colorado Avalanche. However, he made his way to New Jersey via trade and was an effective player for the club. He set a career-high in points the year before (28) and came two points shy of tying it this season (26). Graves is not known for his offence but has been a consistent player to hit the 26-point mark.
Graves is a steady top-four defenseman. Primarily this season he was paired alongside John Marino. The pair did a good job of suppressing the opposition’s chances with 2.34 expected goals against per 60 minutes. In addition, they averaged 1.92 goals against. His shutdown ability was noticeable and he helped form a stout unit in New Jersey. (team) is getting a good one and top four defensemen don’t grow on trees.
What This Contract Means For The Team
The Ryan Graves contract makes sense for the team. He is a proven player and is young as well. It makes sense to bring him on board. Having a guy you can plug in right away into your top four goes a long ways. Players like that don’t come around a lot and you can’t ever have too much depth. Looking for a player with shutdown ability that can also chip in offensively is huge. Graves is a player that can make the team deeper as they look to round out the lineup. This is a great addition for the club and it will be great to see how it works.
Main Photo: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
