The Pittsburgh Penguins are getting one of their top defenceman back just in time for Thursday's showdown with the Edmonton Oilers (Sportsnet West, Sportsnet+, 7 p.m. MT / 9 p.m. ET).
Pittsburgh announced that it has activated Erik Karlsson and placed fellow blue liner Ryan Graves on injured reserve.
Karlsson was placed on IR with a lower-body injury on Jan. 13, following a game against the Boston Bruins. It was unclear when the three-time Norris winner suffered the injury, as he 23:12 in that contest.
The Swede had been enjoying a resurgent season with four goals and 29 assists in 44 games before the injury.
He was also named to his country's Olympic roster earlier this month.
Graves was recalled from AHL Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to take Karlsson's spot at the time of the veteran's initial injury.
It is also unclear when Graves, 30, was injured as the six-foot-five defenceman played 18:21 in Wednesday's win over the Calgary Flames.
Graves has one goal, eight penalty minutes and a minus-2 rating in 19 games this year with the Penguins.
A veteran of eight NHL seasons, Graves has two goals and seven assists in 13 AHL games in 2025-26.
