Penguins May See Minimal Changes on Defense
The Pittsburgh Penguins may elect to give their defense a second chance next season.
Defense was not a strength for the 2023-24 Pittsburgh Penguins. They ranked in the bottom third of the league in multiple defensive categories and often relied on goaltending to bail them out.
However, the Penguins may give their blue line another chance. Most of the defense is already in place. Erik Karlsson, Kris Letang, and Marcus Pettersson are under contract next season and are unlikely to be moved.
Ryan Graves, on the other hand, could be offered up for trade this summer. Considering Graves is coming off his worst NHL season and still has five years remaining on his contract, that trade will be nearly impossible to maneuver.
That leaves two spots open for the Penguins, but rookie Jack St. Ivany seemingly earned at least a shot at one of them with his performance in the final stretch of last season.
P.O. Joseph is up for a new contract, and while he struggled through most of the season, the Penguins may still want him as a partner for Letang in 2024. Penguins insider Josh Yohe recently discussed where Joseph may stand with the organization for The Athletic.
"Talk to anyone in the front office, and they’ll very quickly let you know they loved his game down the stretch. Does that mean he’s in Pittsburgh to stay? Does it mean he played well enough that the Penguins could trade him? Joseph plays well with Letang, which is no small thing. Letang is hard to play with. If Joseph and Letang are the answer on the second pairing — which is difficult to assess because Letang wasn’t himself at the end of the season — it would allow Karlsson and Pettersson to stay on the top pair together. All of a sudden, the Penguins’ top four would be set and, if you were Dubas, you could exclusively focus on your forwards this summer."
That leaves little room for change on the back end. There are reasons to believe the same group could garner better results.
Karlsson and Pettersson could build on their chemistry through the offseason. Joseph could rebound to where he was in his rookie season alongside a healthier Letang.
Ryan Graves could improve next to a stay-at-home defenseman like St. Ivany. That allows Graves to assume a more comfortable role as the primary puck-mover for the pairing.
That's a lot of hope. With the Penguins entering another must-win season, hoping is not the most attractive option.
There is an argument for keeping things status quo and letting a group build together. But even if everything goes right with these six defensemen, the ceiling will not rise enough to push the Penguins back into Stanley Cup contention.
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