Ryan Graves: From Friends with MacKinnon to Teammates with Crosby

New Penguins defenseman Ryan Graves is from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, which is over three hours from Halifax. That's the closest big city to Cole Harbour, where both Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon grew up.

With Graves and MacKinnon being the same age, they've been friends since they were kids - and it was through Nate that Ryan met Sid for the first time. Graves now spends his summers in Prince Edward Island, which is where he started his junior hockey career - but makes the drive back home once every week or two to skate with Crosby and MacKinnon during July and August … before he'll join the Penguins captain in Pittsburgh for training camp in September.

"Growing up, you look up to Sid. He is kind of that age where he was breaking in as I was kind of being old enough to understand what the NHL is and to really become a young fan," Graves said. "So, he is who everybody looks up to in our area. Younger, older - everybody idolizes him, and for good reason.

"He's a great guy, one of the best players ever play the game. So, to know him on a personal level was very cool for me, and now, to get to know him as a teammate and to play alongside of him is feeling kind of surreal, but it'll be very cool."

Part of the reason Graves signed a six-year contract with an average annual value of $4.5 million on the first day of free agency is the opportunity to skate with Pittsburgh's core leadership group, also known as the Big Three.

"I wanted to go to a team that was in contention, and I believe the Penguins are a team that will contend for years to come," Graves said. "It's pretty cool to play with guys like Sid, (Evgeni) Malkin and (Kris) Letang - guys that are legends; that are still really good hockey players even though they're getting a little bit older now. So, I'm really excited to join a group like that."

This was Graves' first time experiencing the whole process of free agency after playing parts of five seasons in the NHL from 2018-23. He was originally drafted by the New York Rangers in the fourth round back in 2013, turning professional in 2015 and playing two-plus seasons with their American Hockey League affiliate before getting traded to Colorado at the deadline in 2018.

Graves then debuted with the Avalanche, where he was teammates with MacKinnon, and played 149 NHL games there before New Jersey acquired him in the summer of 2021. Graves spent the last two seasons with the Devils, a young team led by 22-year-old star forward Jack Hughes.

"It'll be a big change going to a team like Pittsburgh with such respected veterans like Sid, Malkin, Letang - guys that I've mentioned that you look up to and you respect so much," Graves said. "I'm looking forward to just learning from guys like that."

Graves said that when free agency opened, a few teams were interested, but Pittsburgh was always the front-runner - and remained at the top of his list as the day went on. Penguins president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas said the team was thrilled to find a blueliner for their top-four who's a little bit younger, as Graves is 28 years old, and has plenty of size, as he measures 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds.

"But more importantly, he's been very effective at playing against very, very tough competition in New Jersey and going back to Colorado," Dubas said. "So, I feel that will help… then, I think he complements what we have on our right side very well with Kris (Letang) and Jeff Petry. So, we're very excited about that."

Graves thinks he'll likely slide into the sort of role vacated by Brian Dumoulin, who signed a two-year deal with Seattle, and turns 32 in the fall. The left-handed blueliner is looking forward to seeing exactly where he fits in a mix that also features Marcus Pettersson, Jan Rutta, Pierre-Olivier Joseph, Chad Ruhwedel and Ty Smith.

"I try to play a two-way game, but the emphasis on my game is definitely defensively and the penalty kill and just playing against top lines," Graves said. "My game is not super high risk. So, I'll be more of a steady force. Just try to defend well and make clean breakouts; transition the puck well and quickly; and try to get the puck in your best players' hands. That's kind of the way I like to model my game, and I want to try to do that in Pittsburgh as well."