Penguins place Ryan Graves on waivers

A veteran NHL blueliner has become available.

On Tuesday, the Pittsburgh Penguins placed defenseman Ryan Graves on waivers, giving the other 31 teams a chance to claim him.

Elliotte Friedman

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Graves (PIT) on waivers

7:02 PM · Dec 30, 2025

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If Graves clears waivers, Pittsburgh would be able to reassign him to their American Hockey League affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, where he’s already played 10 games this season. He has a goal in 17 games with Pittsburgh this season.

Graves, 30, can already boast a solid, respectable NHL career. Standing at 6’5″ and weighing 225 pounds, he’s earned a repuation as a strong, stay-at-home defenseman.

Initially drafted by the New York Rangers in the fourth round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, Graves spent the first two-plus seasons of his professional career playing for the Rangers’ AHL affiliate Hartford Wolf Pack, before getting traded to the Colorado Avalanche for defenseman Chris Bigras at the 2018 trade deadline. He broke into the NHL the following year, playing 26 games for the Avalanche in the 2018-19 season.

The Yarmouth, Nova Scotia native became a full-time NHLer in the 2019-20 season, playing 69 games for Colorado while averaging just under 19 minutes of ice time. After one more year with the Avalanche, Graves was dealt to the New Jersey Devils ahead of the 2021-22 season for forward Mikhail Maltsev and a second-round pick.

Graves had a career-best offensive campaign in his first season with the Devils, notching six goals and 22 assists for 28 points in 75 games. He also averaged a career-high 20 minutes and 43 seconds of ice time that season.

After two full seasons in New Jersey, Graves became an unrestricted free agent and signed a six-year, $27 millions deal with the Penguins. In his two-plus seasons in Pittsburgh, Graves has put up five goals and 14 assists for 19 points in 148 games, while averaging 16 minutes and 38 seconds of ice time.