The Penguins open the season on Tuesday against the Rangers in New York, facing their former coach, Mike Sullivan. Yesterday, the team made a number of roster moves, with a 5:00 PM Monday deadline looming to get down to 23 players. The moves made yesterday, combined with the resolution of potential waiver claims and reassignments resulting from them, get the Penguins down to the 23-man limit on the active roster.
Five players were placed on waivers, including veteran defenseman Ryan Graves, who is entering the fourth season of a six-year contract. Also waived were forwards Boko Imama, Rafael Harvey-Pinard, and 2019 number one draft choice Sam Poulin, along with defenseman Alex Alexeyev, who was first round draft pick by the Capitals in 2018.
If none of the waived players are claimed by another team by two o’clock this afternoon, they will be assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Graves would be a costly waiver, with a $4.5 million salary cap hit this season, $3 million of which will remain in place while he is skating in the minors.
The Penguins also released forward Robby Fabbri from his professional tryout contract.
Four Penguins rookies were assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, including their 2022 first round pick, defenseman Owen Pickering. Forwards Tristan Broz and Avery Hayes and goaltender Sergei Murashov, were also assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Eight players will begin the season on injured reserve. They include forwards Bryan Rust, Kevin Hayes, Rutger McGroarty, Tanner Howe, and Bill Zonnon; defensemen Jack St. Ivany and Peyton Kettles; and goaltender Joel Blomqvist.
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