The Pittsburgh Penguins added another defenseman to an already packed house of defenders.

PITTSBURGH - Heading into the 2022-23 season, it was obvious the Pittsburgh Penguins had an abundance of NHL-ready talent from defensemen.

Nine players in the Penguins organization have what it takes to be NHL regulars, but there are only six spots available on a given night.

As the year has progressed, each of the nine defenders have made their way into NHL games.

What was Ron Hextall’s plan with the trade deadline? Apparently, to add another defenseman.

Not only did Hextall believes the Penguins needed more defensive depth, but he had no plans of moving out a player already on the blue line.

In the final hours before the deadline, Hextall acquired Dmitry Kulikov from the Anaheim Ducks.

In Kulikov’s first practice with the Penguins, head coach Mike Sullivan slotted him in on the third pairing with Jan Rutta.

This bumped P.O. Joseph to a fourth defensive pair with Chad Ruhwedel.

Sullivan later said that he expects Kulikov to be in the lineup for his Penguins debut against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

With nine NHL-caliber defensemen already in the organization, adding a 10^th only promotes more competition for the six possible spots each game.

“Any time you add a competitive NHL player to the group it creates more internal competition for everybody to be at their best,” Sullivan said.

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If the lines hold true from practice to the game, that means Joseph is the odd-man out and is likely going to be healthy scratched.

It’s a shame for Joseph to be scratched, he’s in the midst of a fantastic season where he has proven to be an everyday NHL player.

In 58 games this season, Joseph has scored four goals and 13 assists for 17 points, and shows tremendous confidence with every passing game.

As for Kulikov, he’s the new guy; he would rather have someone else describe his game, but he wants to be the best he can at all times.

“I try to play an honest game,” Kulikov said. “Play the game the right way. Make plays when they’re there. Play hard on defense and be a part of the offense.”

Kulikov may be a defenseman, but he believes that all five guys on the ice should contribute offensively when they can.

“It’s a five-man game,” Kulikov said. “When you’re defending, all five should defend. On offense, all five guys should be in to offense. Don’t let the forwards do all the work.”

It’ll be interesting to see how the rest of the season plays out for the Penguins and their blue line.

Hextall didn’t do anything to relieve the log jam, rather add another piece of lumber.

Kulikov doesn’t necessarily mean Joseph is completely out of the lineup, but he does add an element of competition for the remainder of the season.

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