The Pittsburgh Penguins already shuffling defense pairings during first game.

Erik Karlsson's arrival headlined a busy summer for the Pittsburgh Penguins. When the Penguins' took the ice on Tuesday for their season opener, Karlsson was one of eight players making their Penguins' debut.

Many wondered how Karlsson and Kris Letang would mesh and how Penguins' head coach Mike Sullivan would utilize the duo of all-world defensemen. Tuesday provided our first look at how those two would split ice time.

Karlsson and Letang combined for over 50 minutes of ice time against the Chicago Blackhawks. Karlsson led all Penguins' skaters with 26:04 ice time, while Letang finished second with 24:32.

While Letang and Karlsson will shift around throughout the season, P.O. Joseph had the most volatile deployment on the evening. Joseph finished the game with 11:30 ice time, playing just over five minutes with his defense partner Chad Ruhwedel. 

What surprised many was that Joseph played five minutes with the Penguins' top two defensemen. Joseph played 2:47 with Letang and 2:16 with Karlsson at even strength. 

Joseph's volatile shift work may be due to the Penguins' issues with penalties (4 taken in the game), but it could be a sign to come for how the Penguins will utilize him when Karlsson and Letang play most of the game.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BA-A4HMaSb0[/embed]

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

Penguins Have High Expectations of AHL Team

Kyle Dubas Already Showing Growth in Penguins Front Office

Penguins Want More From Alex Nylander

Official Welcomes Sidney Crosby and Connor Bedard to Season

Expect Top Prospect To Get Extended Look With Penguins

• undefined
• undefined