Having been shuffled between the NHL and American Hockey League (AHL) a handful of times this season, Ryan Graves appreciates each and every day he is on the Pittsburgh Penguins’ roster.
And Wednesday brought an additional blessing.
The Penguins hosted 10-year-old Myer Gallant through Make-A-Wish and even signed the native of O’Leary, Prince Edward Island to a one-day contract.
Gallant’s favorite player is Graves, who also makes his offseason home on Prince Edward Island, a locale that has produced a limited number of NHLers. Upon meeting Graves, Gallant gifted him with a regional delicacy, mustard pickles.
“He brought me some stuff from home,” Graves said. “Some little homemade treats. Now, I owe him.
“You take for granted, kind of the life you’re able to live. Not just playing hockey for a living, but just in general. You see him smiling all morning. That kind of brings things into a bigger picture. That’s just awesome.”
Graves hopes to remain in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ picture for the foreseeable future.
With all-everything defenseman Erik Karlsson landing on injured reserve due to an undisclosed malady on Tuesday, the Penguins made a corresponding transaction and recalled Graves from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
It was the second time that he had been summoned from Northeast Pennsylvania this season.
A healthy scratch during Tuesday’s 2-1 home shootout loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, Graves has played in 17 NHL games this season and has one goal while averaging 15:19 of ice time per contest.
Much like most of his tenure with the Penguins, his third season with the club has not gone as hoped. Going through waivers — and going unclaimed — twice is not part of anyone’s designs, especially for a player in the third year of a six-year contract with a salary cap hit of $4.5 million.
But Graves has found benefit in skating for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Appearing in 13 AHL games, he has nine points (two goals, seven assists) while largely operating on Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s top pairing as well as both special teams units.
In his most recent AHL contest, he fired an ample eight shots and scored a goal during a 5-1 road loss to the Charlotte Checkers on Jan. 10.
Gravy with an absolute missile! pic.twitter.com/hYQ7uVhyDD
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) January 11, 2026
Before clearing waivers and being assigned to the AHL club on New Year’s Eve, Graves had been a healthy scratch in seven consecutive games.
“It had been three weeks since I played a game when I went down there,” Graves said. “It’s good to go play and play in all the situations. You just get to play really big minutes and really try to work and improve. The same mindset. Go down there and just try to work to get back and keep improving.”
Given that Graves is a left-hander and Karlsson is a right-hander, why did the Penguins not recall another starboard-oriented blueliner such as Matt Dumba or Phil Kemp?
“Based on how (Graves) has been playing down there, based on his experience, based on what he’s done in the past, all those things,” coach Dan Muse said. “We’ve had it where (defensemen) play their off sides before. If we want to have that as an option, it is something that we could explore again. (Left-hander Brett) Kulak has a lot of experience playing on the right. There’s a lot of options there as well.
Graves is eager to prove he’s a viable option for more work in the NHL.
“I’m just trying to do everything I can to be ready,” Graves said. “And if I get a chance to play, to play my best hockey. Obviously, that’s not easy going up and down. You want to be here. My mindset is the same. I want to be here. I think I belong here. I’m just trying to push my best foot forward whenever I get the opportunity.”
Lizotte grateful for security
Penguins forward Blake Lizotte didn’t spend much time negotiating the three-year contract extension he signed on Monday.
In fact, he didn’t even devote a full day to the process.
“I got a text (Monday) from my agent (Daniel Plante) saying that they want to get a deal done,” Lizotte said on Tuesday. “We felt it was a fair deal, so we were really happy to both come to an agreement.”
Lizotte initially joined the Penguins as an unrestricted free agent in July of 2024, signing a two-year pact with a salary cap hit of $1.85 million. His new deal begins next season and offers a tidy pay raise at $2.25 million per season.
This season, Lizotte has largely been the centerpiece of an effective fourth line, manning the middle with wingers Noel Acciari and Connor Dewar. In 36 games, Lizotte has 10 points (five goals, five assists) while averaging 13:57 of ice time per contest.
With him in the lineup, the Penguins are 20-9-7. Sans Lizotte, they have gone 1-5-3.
“There are so many things that you’ve seen him do to help make a positive impact for this team,” Muse said. “The defensive play, the penalty kill, the shot blocking, just the relentless style of play that he has, which leads to (offensive) zone time. Also, he is a guy who’s been chipping in offensively as well. There’s not a moment that he takes off.”
As an undrafted player out of St. Cloud State who broke into the NHL with the Los Angeles Kings in 2018-19, Lizotte doesn’t, for a moment, take the security offered by a three-year contract for granted.
“In terms of life, the grand scheme, having three years, especially since we’re expecting a baby on the way,” Lizotte said. “Having three years of security is huge, and kind of relieves some stress outside of the rink, which kind of goes away.
“Now, I just get to focus on playing and being at my best.”