Trevor van Riemsdyk was one of the Penguins' top signings during free agency. How will he do this year?
Pittsburgh Penguins general manager/president Kyle Dubas wasn't lying when he said he wanted to make changes to the defense after the season.
Dubas wasn't happy with the number of chances the Penguins gave up last season and hopes that veteran defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk will help fix that. Dubas signed van Riemsdyk to a two-year contract right when free agency opened on July. 1. It comes after he spent the previous six seasons with the Washington Capitals.
He's a right shot, but he does have experience playing on the left side, which is where I expect him to start when the 2026-27 season begins. He feels like a natural fit for Erik Karlsson on the top pair after the Penguins traded Parker Wotherspoon, Karlsson's partner last season, to the Vegas Golden Knights for Kaedan Korczak. TVR is very good defensively and routinely wins his assignments in the defensive zone.
His underlying numbers have also been very good throughout his career. He ranked in the 92nd percentile for 5v5 defense this past season and was on the ice for 50.5% of the expected goal share, 51.7% of the high-danger chances, and had a +6 high-danger goal differential.
Like Wotherspoon last season, TVR will allow Karlsson to do his thing in the offensive zone while being more of a stay-at-home defenseman. He'll still contribute to the scoresheet every now and then, but his main duty will be the defensive zone.
He'll also get plenty of time on the penalty kill this season since he's been a mainstay on that unit during his career. He has finished his last five seasons with 100+ minutes on the PK, including 116:45 in 2025-26. Penguins head coach Dan Muse has to be stoked about adding a player with that much experience on the PK.
TVR is a player who won't win the "wow" factor, but he does the little things very well and is super steady. It would be a surprise if he didn't help the Penguins this year.
(Data via Natural Stat Trick).
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