POINT SHOTS
I think Mike Sullivan is handling the Ryan Graves situation the proper way. No doubt Graves, pictured at left, has been a massive disappointment. And we now have a large enough sample to wonder if he might not be a fit in Pittsburgh’s system. Obviously, with 454 games left on that contract, that would be catastrophic. In the short term, Sullivan must balance the need to win games with getting Graves going. Dropping him to the third pair will trim his minutes slightly and maybe give Graves more favorable matchups. Playing alongside another stay-at-home type in Chad Ruhwedel could also take some pressure off him. We’ll see if that helps Graves get out of his own way and allows him to get back to where he was in November, when he actually played pretty well for a while. That stretch should give hope that this signing will ultimately pan out. Another important question as it relates to that situation: Can PIerre-Olivier Joseph play well enough in the next week or two and give the Penguins the ability to be patient with Graves? With John Ludvig out longer term, Joseph suddenly went from street clothes to the second pair, playing next to Erik Karlsson. This might be a make-or-break stretch for Joseph. If he falters and the Penguins have to turn back to Ryan Shea, his days in Pittsburgh could soon be up.
❖ On the “32 Thoughts” podcast the other day, Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman linked the Penguins to Michael Bunting, one of Kyle Dubas’ old players. Given that connection, it’s worth filing that tidbit away. But I don’t see a match right now based on their potential trade chips and tight salary sap situation.
❖ Jesse Puljujarvi looked and felt good enough in recent practices to move to the next phase in his comeback from double hip surgery — a pro tryout contract in the American Hockey League. If the power forward fares well enough in those games, he figures to get an NHL contract offer from the Penguins. I would keep expectations low for the former top-five pick. The bestcase scenario for this season is that Puljujarvi becomes a solid third-line contributor.