The Pittsburgh Penguins have made an adjustment to fit John Ludvig in for his NHL debut.
With the 2023-24 NHL season still extremely young, the Pittsburgh Penguins are yet to make vast changes to their lineup or how they deploy their personnel.
Some small adjustments have been made over the last couple of games, and that will continue for the Penguins against the Dallas Stars.
Head coach Mike Sullivan announced following the morning skate that defenseman John Ludvig would slot into the lineup and make his NHL debut.
Ludvig’s debut comes a game following the NHL debut of defenseman Ryan Shea.
When Sullivan confirmed Ludvig would be in the lineup, it wasn’t clear where in the lineup or who he would be playing with.
The third pairing was assumed, but no word was said whether he would play alongside Shea, Chad Ruhewedel, or P.O. Joseph.
Ruhwedel and Joseph have struggled to start the season and it was Joseph who was scooped from the lineup for Shea.
With the official lineup announcement, the Penguins will roll with a third pair of Ludvig and Shea, giving Ruhwedel the night off.
Since the Penguins have remained healthy to start the year, the lineup changes have come out of performance rather than necessity.
Sullivan and the Penguins are showing early they aren’t afraid to make small adjustments at any time.
The Penguins started the season with Joseph and Ruhwedel on the third pair, and after just five games, they are both sitting out.
Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguins for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more.
- Subscribe to Inside the Penguins on YouTube
- Follow Inside the Penguins on Twitter: @InsidePenguins