The Pittsburgh Penguins will be seeing the return of defenseman Erik Karlsson, as a result of activating him from injured reserve on Jan. 22 ahead of play against the Edmonton Oilers.
Fellow blueliner Ryan Graves has since been placed on IR. Karlsson was placed on IR with a lower-body injury on Jan. 13, following a game against the Boston Bruins. However, it was unclear when exactly the three-time Norris Trophy winner suffered the injury. Karlsson had posted four goals and 29 assists in 44 games prior to injury.
Karlsson was also named to the Team Sweden roster for the upcoming 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games.
Graves, 30, was recalled from the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to take Karlsson's spot at the time of the veteran's initial injury.
Erik Karlsson Returns for Pittsburgh Penguins
As of presstime, Karlsson saw 6:48 TOI in the first period against the Oilers.
The Penguins have activated defenseman Erik Karlsson from Injured Reserve.
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 22, 2026
Defenseman Ryan Graves has been placed on Injured Reserve. Pic.twitter.com/lWhcYlWlAQ
Graves has one goal, eight penalty minutes and a minus-2 rating in 19 games this year with the Penguins. It is unknown when Graves sustained his injury to be placed on IR — the defenseman played over 18 minutes in the recent win over the Calgary Flames.
The Penguins concluded the first period up 3-0 over the Oilers at Rogers Place.
Prior to finishing play against Edmonton, the Penguins currently sit with 59 points in the Metropolitan Division with a 24-14-11 overall record.
Karlsson was traded to Pittsburgh by the San Jose Sharks back in 2023 and has a total of 903 points in the NHL across 1,128 games played.
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