Just to add even more proof - look at Letang and EK combined numbers when playing with Pettersson vs Graves vs POJ.

Pettersson:
+18
52.5 xGF
53% SCF

Graves:
-2
50% xGF
49.5 SCF%

POJ:
-1
49% xGF
50 SCF%

So EK/Letang are doing as well with Mr AHL POJ as they are with big contract Ryan Graves. And yet you'll argue that POJ is an AHLer and Graves is having a good season for his contract. And where's your proof? All you have is GA/60 which I already proved is because of his abnormally high on ice sv%

Lets look at your stats first.
his corsi is almost 50%, he does as hockey-ref show get 58% of his starts in dzone.
that's about what you should expect there. It's average. No other top 4 is getting those dzone starts.
Is that it?
lets do some comparable around the league.
https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/o/oleksja01.html Jamie Oleksiak
https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/r/romanal01.html Alexander Romanov
https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/w/walkese01.html Sean Walker
https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/l/lindees01.html Esa Lindell 5.8 mil
https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/l/lauzoje01.html Jeremy Lauzon
https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/m/mcnabbr01.html Brayden McNabb
https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/g/gavrivl01.html Gavrikov, Vladislav 5.8 mil
https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/o/orlovdm01.html Dmitry Orlov 7.7 mil



I picked those almost random. Some I had to pass on, low number of games, or I knew they were not 2LD like on PHL who traded their 2LD to COL.
It's 1/4 the league. Depth chart has them as 2LD.
It's from a mix of team roughly same level as the penguins some teams are better. I tried not to take bottom teams as their stats might be a bit bias against the defensemen.
Graves number are roughly average for a 2LD. You can see so above.
There are 1 or 2 who are better defenseman than Graves. There is no doubt Orlov is a better defenseman than Graves. He is also getting 7.7 mil per.
One could argue some of Gavrikov stats have him as a slight improvement. He's getting 5.8 mil per.

You are going to have to do better on your statistical arguments. As you got an average 2LD there, on an average 2LD salary.
Jamie Oleksiak is one of the closest comparable. Big, defensive defenseman, roughly same salary. Near identical numbers.
You don't here SEA fans slamming him all day long every day.

Try again.

I am more than happy to have the POJ argument.
POJ 5v5 oiGA is almost a full goal ahead of Graves at 2.9 to 2.
He bleeds almost 50% more goals on the ice in 5v5 play. Period.
Graves is not an offensive defensemen, we have established his deployment is mainly in the defensive role, So I don't care what his offensive numbers are. That's not what they asked him to do. They asked him to stop the goals from bleeding. that is obvious.

I don't think you are - because you just completely avoided my stats comparing Graves and POJ playing with the same d partner. And how it's significantly worse than with Pettersson. Again - Graves' abnormally high on ice sv% is what makes him better in the GA/60 metric.

His deployment isn't the defensive zone - we've established that. Okay but don't you care that he's also been bad defensively? Yes - they did. And he's not doing that

Correct, almost 50% - as in 49%. Which is what I said. MoneyPuck has his ACTUAL dzone starts at 12.7%. Why did you say "is that it" as if you made some kind of point?

No - I don't need to do any better. You on the other hand - need to do significantly better.

Nowhere did you prove he isn't having a bad season. Try again.

again, you showed offensive stats. POJ is paired with letang in the Ozone because he can't defend. ... POJ does not drive those numbers. He's just a ride along and keeping him out his own end.

There is no abnormally high sv% Graves 5v5 PDO is 99.7 .... that means they are statistically on par. again leading with numbers not opinions on how it got there.
58.5 D zone starts 5v5.... defensive use... leading with numbers
https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/g/gravery01.html

Don't tell me what your opinion of it is.... those are the stats.

I don't think you get it.
I only need to show his play is average 2LD play.
Which was the whole point. You just don't get what bad 2LD play is.
All his numbers rank up in line in average with other 2LD.
There are a handful that have better numbers. They are also getting paid far more... Like Orlov. But they didn't want to pay 7.7 mil per for that level of player, so don't expect that level of player.
Go look at the numbers.
You will see.
His corsi is on par, his fenwick is no par. His oiGA is better than most. He's not a turn over machine.
They paid for a 2LD....they got a 2LD. It's not a "bad" season..... it's just what a 2LD is.
Be glad he's a guy who only gave up a 5v5 oiGA 2.0 as some of these guys are far worse.

So again. Show me through the stats. Compare the 2LDs. Where are the huge issues that say "bad" season.