The Pittsburgh Penguins may have a new look to their defense, but Brian Dumoulin will have similar expectations.
The Pittsburgh Penguins will look to snap their seven game losing streak as they travel to Washington to take on the rival Capitals.
While there are a few sections of the team that can be highlighted as main reasons for the Penguins set backs, Brian Dumoulin has seemingly turned into the main whipping boy.
It’s easy to understand why; he’s been on the ice for more goals against than anyone on the team with 23 and his defensive ability has been on the decline.
Once one of the best defensive defensemen this franchise has ever seen, Dumoulin doesn’t seem like the same player.
The decline in play have seemingly gotten Dumoulin a demotion in the lineup; a long-time member on the top line with Kris Letang, Dumoulin took reps on the third pairing.
Head coach Mike Sullivan moved Dumoulin to the third pairing with Jan Rutta, while Marcus pettersson received a well deserved promotion to the first line.
Despite the lineup shuffling, the expectations are still high for Dumoulin.
“We all have expectations for Dumo,” Sullivan said. “No one has higher expectations of him than himself.”
Regardless of where in the lineup Dumoulin plays, Sullivan is confident that Dumoulin can play through his struggles and find a new level to his game.
“One of the things we’ve always admired about Dumo and is character is that he takes ownership for his own game,” Sullivan said. “He takes responsibility for trying to bring his cery best. There’s no doubt that he’ll work thought it.”
Hopefully sheltering Dumoulin’s minutes can help him reach his expectations again; after all, the Penguins have made a habit of rekindling defenders just by putting them in new roles.
Cody Ceci was struggling on the first pairing of the Toronto Maple Leafs, but when he signed in Pittsburgh he was bumped to the third line and had a standout year.
Mike Matheson was looked at as one of the most overpaid defenders in the NHL with the Florida Panthers, but he blossomed with the Penguins’ system.
Now is the time for Todd Reirden to work some magic on Dumoulin and return him to form.
“We all have high expectations of him because his body of work as a Pittsburgh Penguin is impressive.”
Dumoulin is on the final year of his contract and he will want to perform well with the Penguins if he plans on signing a new deal in the off season.
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