Kyle Dubas’ first big free agent signing as president of hockey operations of the Pittsburgh Penguins was defenseman Ryan Graves. Dubas signed Graves to a six-year deal worth $4.5 million annually.
At $27 million in total, it is by far the biggest contract signed by Dubas as the Penguin's front-office leader. Dubas pumped a lot of money into Graves, but the 6-foot-5 blue liner never meshed in his first season in Pittsburgh.
Graves’ 2023-24 season was a disaster after starting the year on the first line next to Kris Letang. Before being taken out of the lineup with an injury, Graves saw his position fall all the way to the third line.
This poor season brought many to hope that a trade may be in the cards for Graves this offseason. A buyout is extremely unlikely, but apparently, so is a trade.
According to Rob Rossi of the Athletic, Dubas doesn’t believe he can pull off a deal without retaining a boatload of salary, which is something he would like to avoid in any trade.
“Dubas does not believe there is a market for Graves without the Penguins eating significant salary,” Rossi writes. “So the hope is Graves rebounds in his second season.”
Graves will almost certainly still be in Pittsburgh to start the 2023-24 season, playing on the third line. That’s a lot of money to funnel into the bottom pairing, but the Penguins don’t have many options.
Dubas doesn’t want to retain salary, and no other team will take Graves at full cost. During his final press conference of the season, Dubas noted that it’s on Graves and the team to put the player in the best position to succeed.
The Penguins have several players on the bubble regarding whether they're staying or going. Graves is among those names, but all signs point to him staying at least for another season.
