The Pittsburgh Penguins still have healthy competition for the third defensive pairing.

When training camp opened for the Pittsburgh Penguins, one of the biggest areas of competition for lineup spots was centered around the third defensive pairing.

New president and general manager Kyle Dubas went hard to work to revamp the Penguins lineup, and he put a heavy focus on depth defensive options.

Dubas brought in Ryan Shea and Will Butcher on contracts as well as Mark Pysyk and Libor Hajek on professional tryouts to join the fray of P.O. Joseph, Char Ruhwedel, Ty Smith, and Mark Friedman.

Each of those names were viable options for the Penguins to select for their opening night lineup.

As camp went along, injuries to Butcher and Pysyk took them out of the running, while Smith and Hajek were eventually moved to the AHL.

Friedman was dropped to the AHL but eventually traded for Jack Rathbone, who could also fight for a spot.

That left Shea, Joseph, and Ruhwedel on the NHL roster fighting for a pair of spots; but a new name joined the battle just before the start of the season.

Dubas added waiver claim John Ludvig into the fold and the season kicked off with the Penguins carrying two extra defensemen.

The opening night roster came back with Joseph and Ruhwedel as the third pair; before too long, Joseph was scratched for Shea’s NHL debut.

The very next game, Ruhwedel was scratched for Ludvig’s NHL debut.

Ludvig suffered a concussion in his first game, but is on the mend and could return in the very new future.

With some volatility around the position, the Penguins still have a fair competition for their third pairing.

“I think there’s competition everywhere,” Shea said. “That’s what makes every player on this team better.”

Head coach Mike Sullivan has been pretty quick to pull the plug on certain players if they aren’t performing up to their standards, and it’s made each player stronger.

Shea cracked the NHL lineup and has yet to be taken out, now playing in nine games.

While Shea is still settling into his NHL role, the Penguins are watching as this healthy competition brings out the best in the players.

Shea is yet to record his first career point, but his defensive mindset doesn’t often relate to numbers on offense.

Pysyk has returned to health and is playing in the AHL with a PTO deal and could possibly find his way back into the Penguins roster.

Smith still has a ton of upside offensively and Rathbone has been productive in his first stint in the organization.

The battle for the bottom pairing will rage on all year and should only bring the best for the team.

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