The Pittsburgh Penguins will need to keep their options open if the Erik Karlsson plan never pans out.

It’s been almost two weeks and there is still no conclusion to Pittsburgh Penguins pursuit of Norris Trophy winning defenseman Erik Karlsson.

The talks between the Penguins and San Jose Sharks reportedly started around the 2023 NHL Draft, but no deal has been made.

In all likelihood, there will need to be a third team involved to help eat some of Karlsson’s $11 million contract, but things have slowed in recent days.

With the Karlsson deal still in the air, the Penguins should start to look around at what other options could be out there.

If the Karlsson deal falls through, Kyle Dubas will still want to add to the blue line in some capacity to bolster his squad.

What defensemen are still available and could be on the Penguins’ radar as a backup plan to Karlsson?

Matt Grzelcyk

According to Pittsburgh Hockey Now, Dubas has already began searching for a backup plan, and the Boston Bruins’ Matt Grzelcyk is on his list.

Grzelcyk has played parts of seven seasons in the NHL all with the Bruins and has been a pretty standard two-way defender.

His offensive numbers won’t blow you away, but he certainly brings a layer of steadiness to the blue line.

Standing at 5-foot-9, Grzelcyk has just one year left on his contract at $3,687,500 and could be a good fall back if a Karlsson deal doesn’t work out.

Matt Dumba

Still available on the free agent market, Matt Dumba is in desperate need for new surroundings.

A great puck mover, Dumba can bring a similar offensive output like Karlsson, but also be a better option in his own end.

An NHL veteran, Dumba has appeared in 598 career games and recorded 236 points (79G-157A).

Dumba is also not afraid to throw the body, tallying 816 hits in his career; exceeding 100 in a season three times in his career.

When Dubas was general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, he often took hard looks at Dumba but was never able to make something happen.

If Karlsson falls through for Dubas in Pittsburgh, why not go after one of the most talented two-way defenders in the game?

Dumba has been a Dubas target before, and it makes perfect sense to pull the trigger this time around.

Ethan Bear

Also still out there as a free agent, Ethan Bear still has a ton to prove at the NHL level.

Only 26-years-old, Bear brings a level of youth that has been hard to find on the Penguins’ roster recently.

Part of Dubas’ goal when joining the Penguins was to subtract some years from the NHL’s oldest team in 2022-23.

Bear would be an affordable option would can easily fill in behind Kris Letang in either a second or third line role.

In 251 career games, Bear has recorded 63 total points and has shown flashes of puck moving ability.

Ideally, the goal for the Penguins is the land the biggest trade target in the NHL, but if things fall through or he decides to work with the Carolina Hurricanes, Dubas is going to need a backup plan.

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