Penguins Must Address Defense Next
There could be serious changes coming for the Pittsburgh Penguins blue line.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are one of the worst defensive teams in the NHL this season. They rank 27th in expected goals allowed per 60 minutes and have struggled to find a rhythm since the outset of this season.
Before addressing the actual players on the ice, the Penguins need a fresh face behind the bench. Todd Reirden rejoined the Penguins ahead of the 2020-21 season to good initial results but has watched his unit quickly decline the past two seasons.
Reirden is already in poor standing because of the Penguins historically awful power play (30th in the NHL), but his inability to form a halfway decent defense with multiple hall-of-farmers may be the final straw.
Outside of a fresh coaching perspective, the Penguins need to overhaul the bottom of their blue line. One of Ryan Graves or Erik Karlsson should be on the move this summer. Graves is more likely to be moved due to his considerably lower salary cap hit and much smaller no-trade list (12 teams instead of 31).
On a defense led by two generational puck-moving defensemen, the Penguins have no room for Graves, who generally performs better when carrying the puck out of the zone.
The Penguins also need new blood on their bottom pair. P.O. Joseph appears to need a fresh start, and Ryan Shea has proven to be more of an AHL-level defender.
John Ludvig brings a more physical dimension and is still young enough to where developing his defensive game is on the table, but he may be best suited beginning next season as the Penguins seventh defenseman.
The bottom line is the Penguins are hurdling toward a defensive rebuild for a third straight offseason, and how Kyle Dubas handles it will likely determine the success of next year's Penguins team.
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