Defensive Reshuffle Leaves Penguins Miles Better
New additions to the Pittsburgh Penguins blue line will pay dividends in their own zone.
The Pittsburgh Penguins roster has seen tremendous turnover this summer. No position saw more change than the defense, headlined by the Erik Karlsson trade.
While many have pointed to the Penguins added offensive potential from their blue-line moves, they are better defensively than they have been in years.
Penguins defensive coach Todd Reirden's system is predicated on a quick and effective transition game. Last year's team struggled often in this area. Brian Dumoulin took a step back after recovering from ankle surgery the previous offseason, and Jan Rutta failed to live up to his contract.
With Dumoulin and Rutta departing for the West Coast, the Penguins replaced them with a puck-moving savant in Karlsson and Ryan Graves. Graves is a gifted defensive-defenseman who, despite his 6'5" frame, is known for his transition ability and first pass out of the defensive zone.
Between the Karlsson and Graves additions and the potential graduation of Ty Smith to the NHL roster, the Penguins transition game should be miles ahead of where they operated last season.
Smith enters camp in a dog fight with a half dozen defenders to earn a spot on the Penguins' bottom pairing. The flexibility that Penguins President of Hockey Ops and General Manager Kyle Dubas has created for that pairing will upgrade the Penguins' defensive numbers.
Dubas' clear out of struggling expensive defenseman in Dumoulin and Rutta opens up an opportunity for multiple defensemen like Smith and Mark Friedman to earn a roster spot out of training camp.
The players fighting for the Penguins' third pairing bring varying skill sets, allowing head coach Mike Sullivan to create whatever type of pairing he needs to round out the defense core. Fortunately, they'll also have a much lighter workload than last season, thanks to Karlsson and Letang likely eating up the majority of even-strength ice time.
Unlike last season, the Penguins will deploy the best available third pairing to supplement a rock-solid top four with Graves, Karlsson, Marcus Petterson, and Kris Letang.
While the defensive changes provide a much-needed upgrade on the blue line, Dubas fortified the defensive side of the puck when addressing the bottom-six forwards as well. Bonafide two-way forwards Matt Nieto, Lars Eller, and Noel Acciari anchor the Penguins bottom two lines.
The bar was set low by the Penguins defense last season. According to moneypuck.com, the Penguins finished 21st in the NHL in expected goals against per 60 minutes (2.7). Thanks to the reshuffling done by Dubas this summer, the Penguins will be much improved in their zone.
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