Kyle Dubas freed up a congested Pittsburgh Penguins blue line over the summer.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are one week away from the official start of training camp. The team that takes the ice on September 21st will look vastly different from the one that departed the ice at Nationwide Arena in Columbus five months ago.

Kyle Dubas has reinvigorated the Penguins organization, bringing in over a dozen new players and reconstructing most of the NHL roster. Part of that reconstruction was the overhaul of the Penguins blue line.

For most of last season, the Penguins' defense was logjamed. What else would you call a unit with five players making $2.75 million or more and just as many fighting to get a chance at the final roster spot?

Dubas' moves have changed the face of that unit and cleared up that logjam, most of which was accomplished in a single transaction. When the Penguins acquired Erik Karlsson on August 6th, they also sent out two defensemen, Jeff Petry and Jan Rutta. 

That trade, paired with exchanging left-shot defensemen Brian Dumoulin, who left in free agency, and Ryan Graves, who signed a six-year contract, has opened up more opportunities for a long list of Penguins depth defensemen.

The top four spots on the Penguins defense is set in stone. Some combination of Karlsson, Graves, Marcus Pettersson, and Kris Letang will make up the bulk of the Penguins blue line. 

That will leave two lineup spots and a roster spot for the seventh defenseman up for grabs over the next four weeks. Players like P.O. Joseph, Chad Ruhwedel, Ty Smith, Mark Pysyk, Mark Friedman, and Will Butcher will battle to start the season at the NHL level.

However, thanks to the offseason maneuvering of Kyle Dubas, whoever wins those positions will have to continue to prove they deserve them. 

Dubas has been open about his willingness to utilize waivers to ensure the right players are at the top level, something that wasn't a reality last season with so many sizeable contracts clogging up the blue line.

The roster isn't perfect, but Dubas' ability to clear up the logjam on defense will lead to a much better season for the Pittsburgh Penguins blue line.

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