No matter where you look, there should be a battle for roles at Pittsburgh Penguins training camp.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are a week away from the official opening of training camp and it is sure to be one of the most important camps in recent memory.

New president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas seemingly took no time off in adding new and familiar faces to the Penguins roster in hope of building a much improved squad.

Aside from the top two forward and defensive lines and the starting goalie, just about every position is up for grabs and well over 20 players have legitimate chances at stealing roles.

Dubas may have relieved the defensive log jam by making the trade of the summer for Erik Karlsson, but there are still a few names that will fight for the couple of open spots on the blue line.

Ty Smith and P.O. Joseph are sure to battle for the third line again; Chad Ruhwedel will have to fend off multiple professional tryouts and depth signings to remain anevery day player.

Mark Pysyk was signed to a PTO contract, but has a real chance of leapfrogging Ruhwedel for the third line role.

Mark Friedman is in the same boat, albeit not a PTO; if he can impress at camp, then he deserves another chance as a lineup regular.

When you look to the depth forwards, there are quite a few new faces that could fill out the Penguins bottom six.

Lars Eller is likely to start as the third line center, but who fills in as his wingers or behind him on the fourth line?

Drew O’Connor was given a new contract, but can he outperform newcomers like Matt Nieto, Noel Acciari, or Rem Pitlick?

Can Jeff Carter turn back the clock for what could be his last season? Or do prospects like Sam Poulin and Valtteri Puustinen crack the lineup?

Even the backup goalie position isn’t set in stone; Alex Nedljkovic was brought in, but he is coming off of back to back disappointing seasons.

A bounce back isn’t guaranteed for him and Magnus Hellberg has massive size and NHL experience.

Both Nedeljkovic and Hellberg spent time on the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins roster last year.

Believe it or not, Hellberg played more NHL games with the Detroit Red Wings than Nedeljkovic did in 2022-23, and had similar win/loss records.

Hellberg in 17 games played held a 4-8-1 record; Nedljkovic in 15 games reached 5-7-2.

The Penguins upcoming camp is sure to be busy, but also full of surprises and will be must watch for every fan.

Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguins for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more.

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