New York Rangers: Ranking young defense candidates for the third pair
By Josh Lipman
#3. Ryan Graves
Ryan Graves is the longest tenured and arguably least touted member of this group. Long odds are nothing new for Graves, though.
The Rangers selected the hulking 6’4″ Graves in the fourth round of the 2013 draft. In the four years since though, Graves has journeyed from project pick to polished prospect.
Graves completed his second full AHL season in 16-17, tallying 30 points in 76 games. He even won the hardest shot event during the AHL’s All-Star weekend.
Beyond his blistering 103.4 mph slapshot, Graves features a solid, all-around game. He’s not prone to mistakes, but he won’t wow anyone with his skating or stickhandling either.
As he begins the final season of his entry level contract, Graves offers the prototypical, simple game teams look for on their third pairings.