The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed defenseman Ryan Graves on a six-year contract extension worth an average annual value of $4.5 million.
It sure has been a busy day in the Steel City.
The Pittsburgh Penguins continued their signing spree on Saturday, agreeing to terms with defenseman Ryan Graves on a six-year contract extension worth an average annual value of $4.5 million.
The deal now ties Graves to Pittsburgh through the 2028-29 season and takes one of the top defenders on the market off the board as the first day of free agent frenzy begins to wind down.
This is quite the commitment for a depth player, though.
Graves is a fine top-four, second-pair defender, finishing the 2022-23 season with eight goals and 18 assists for 26 points in 78 games while logging roughly 20 minutes per night in average nightly ice time.
The price tag for Graves is largely in line with his market value. It's the term of the deal that is cause for concern, as Graves will be 34 when this contract is up. The 28-year-old will certainly help the Penguins in the immediate future, however, and represents a perfect replacement for Brian Dumoulin, who opted to test the market ahead of July 1.
With a massive influx of signings and little cap space left, it's hard to see how the Penguins make additional moves today as Free Agent Frenzy begins to wind down.