Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson admitted to having a limited scouting report on his new teammate, forward Yegor Chinakhov, acquired in a trade Monday afternoon.
By Tuesday morning, Karlsson was asked what he knew about the 24-year-old winger.
“Not too much,” Karlsson said. “Obviously, read a little bit about it. Other than that, not a whole lot.”
And any substantive first impressions of Chinakhov as a Penguins employee will have to wait, as he is slated to be scratched for Tuesday’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes at PPG Paints Arena.
Chinakhov did not arrive in Western Pennsylvania until Tuesday and literally entered the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry with a Blue Jackets equipment bag and several sticks just as his new team’s optional morning skate was concluding.
He trekked from Ottawa, Ontario, where the Blue Jackets played the Senators on Monday evening.
“He just got in after the pregame skate started,” coach Dan Muse said. “We wanted him to just have a chance to get acclimated, meet with teammates, meet with coaches, go over things. Give him an opportunity here to just kind of get settled in.”
How Chinakhov might slot into the Penguins’ lineup is a matter of enticing speculation.
A first-round draft pick (No. 21 overall) of the Blue Jackets in 2020, Chinakhov never truly realized his potential with that club. Citing “misunderstandings” with Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason, he requested a trade this past offseason.
A healthy scratch for eight games this season, Chinakhov has skated in 29 games and posted only six points (three goals, three assists) while averaging 10:18 of ice time per contest.
His production has yet to meet his promise and the Penguins are hoping the proverbial change of scenery can change that.
“He’s a guy that we think there’s a lot there from a skillset standpoint, just the pace that he plays at,” Muse said. “Excited to have him here.”
Muse declined to offer any suggestions as to how Chinakhov (6-foot-1, 203 pounds) might be deployed but the left-hander can potentially be “a winger who can play anywhere across the top of the lineup,” as stated by Penguins president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas, via an e-mail with Pittsburgh-area outlets.
Regardless of where he lines up (or when), Chinakhov provides plenty of intrigue to his teammates, even if they don’t have a root-and-branch familiarity with what he offers.
“It’s going to be fun to see,” Karlsson said. “Obviously, Kyle wouldn’t make that move if he didn’t think that it would be good for our team and help us out. Excited.”
Graves to be waived
To make room for Chinakhov on the active roster, the Penguins designated defenseman Ryan Graves as “non-roster” and plan to waive him at 2 p.m. Tuesday.
Should he go unclaimed, he can be assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League (AHL).
This will be the second time Graves has gone on waivers this season. The first occasion happened Oct. 4. After clearing, he was sent to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton the next day.
Graves did well with the AHL Penguins, appearing in 10 games and posting seven points (one goal, six assists) before earning a recall Nov. 4. With the NHL club, he was largely stationed on the third pairing, playing in 17 games with one goal while clocking 15:19 per contest.
A defensive defenseman by trade, Graves’ had generated some positive possession metrics since rejoining the NHL roster. According to Natural Stat Trick, he was in the black during five-on-five scenarios in terms of being on the ice for shot attempts for (244) and against (220) as well as high-danger chances for (45) and against (32).
But following the arrival of fellow left-handed defenseman Brett Kulak via a trade with the Edmonton Oilers on Dec. 12, a surplus was created on the port side of the blue line. As such, Graves was a healthy scratch for the past six games entering Tuesday.
“Obviously, those are tough decisions that are made,” Muse said. “There was some good things that he was doing when he was back up (on the NHL roster). Obviously, it’s been a tough situation for him but one that I think that he has handled extremely well, just the work that he put in to get himself back. Decisions need to be made.
“Sometimes, it has to do with how other guys are playing as well. Other guys are staying in. Obviously, tough decisions.”
Graves, 30, is in the third year of a six-year contract that carries a salary cap hit of $4.5 million. With an assignment to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, $1.15 million of his salary cap hit will come off the books for the NHL club per league rules.