The Pittsburgh Penguins assigned five players to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League (AHL) after they cleared waivers on Sunday.
That group includes forwards Rafael Harvey-Pinard, Boko Imama and Sam Poulin, as well as defensemen Alex Alexeyev and Ryan Graves.
The most notable member of the group is Graves, who is entering the third year of a six-year contract that carries a salary cap hit of $4.5 million. While he is assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, only $1.15 million of his salary cap hit can come off the books for the NHL club.
In four games this preseason, Graves did not record a point on nine shots.
Graves, 30, has not played in the AHL since the 2018-19 season when he was a member of the Colorado Eagles.
Harvey-Pinard, 26, signed a one-year, two-way contract with a salary cap hit of $775,000 in July. This preseason, the left-hander appeared in three contests and had no points on five shots.
Imama is entering his second season with the club after agreeing to a one-year, two-way contract extension with a salary cap hit of $775,000 in June.
The 29-year-old Imama skated in three games this preseason and did not record a point but collected four penalty minutes.
Poulin was the Penguins’ first-round draft pick (No. 21 overall) in 2019 and cleared waivers prior to the start of the 2024-25 campaign.
This preseason, the 24-year-old Poulin skated in three games and did not record a point on two shots.
Alexeyev, 25, joined the team in July as an unrestricted free agent signing, agreeing to a one-year contract worth $775,000.
A first-round draft pick (No. 31 overall) of the Washington Capitals in 2018, the left-handed Alexeyev skated in three games this preseason and did not record a point on one shot.
Following these transactions, the Penguins have 23 healthy players on their roster along with eight injured players.
The NHL’s deadline to formally submit a season-opening roster compliant with the league’s 23-man limit is 5 p.m. Monday.
