Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Ryan Graves discusses where he believes he'll fit with the team next season. On the surface, not many will believe the Pittsburgh Penguins made major improvements to their roster. A slew of signings by president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas has seen an improvement in organizational depth and defense within the bottom-six forward group, but that’s about it. The starting goalie remained the same and the defense is still getting sorted out as teams pace themselves with the Erik Karlsson deal. Did the Penguins really get that much better? According to the Athletic, [https://theathletic.com/4701104/2023/07/19/nhl-offseason-ratings-most-improved-teams/] yes, they are one of the most improved teams in the NHL. The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn thinks the Penguins are the third most improved team this offseason behind only the Dallas Stars and Detroit Red Wings. Over the course of the offseason, the Penguins have added depth forwards like Matt Nieto, Noel Acciari, and Lars Eller to fill out the bottom-six. Reilly Smith will step in to replace the departure of Jason Zucker; and Ryan Graves fills in as the top line left defenseman for Brian Dumoulin. Add a multitude of signings that will make the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins a fairly competitive team, and the Penguins have made plenty of positive additions. Zucker may headline the list of names that left the Penguins as he, Dumoulin, Nick Bonino, Josh Archibald, and Ryan Poehling all found new homes in the NHL. When looking into what was added against what was subtracted, the Penguins are a far deeper and more improved team; they just barely missed the postseason in 2022-23, but these new faces should push them right back in. According to Luszczyszyn’s model, the Penguins added an extra 12.1 goals while only taking on $2.4 million in salary. Of course, Dubas might not be done adding to the Penguins roster with the addition of Norris Trophy winner Karlsson still on hold. Depending on the return for the future Hall of Famer, Karlsson would be a huge addition for the Penguins and a massive improvement on the blue line. The Penguins already improved greatly, but might not be done. Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguins [http://insidethepenguins.com/]for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more! Drew O'Connor Is Pivotal for the Penguins [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/podcasts/drew-oconnor-pivotal-pittsburgh-penguins] Current Penguins That Could Crack 2026 Olympic Rosters [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/pens-talk/pittsburgh-penguins-crack-2026-olympics-rosters] Does Jason Spezza Play a Role in Bringing Erik Karlsson to the Penguins? [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/pens-talk/jason-spezza-role-bringing-erik-karlsson-pittsburgh-penguins] Erik Karlsson Opens up About Trade Talks With Penguins [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/news/erik-karlsson-opens-trade-talks-pittsburgh-penguins] Penguins Trade Targets that Fit Better than Erik Karlsson [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/pens-talk/pittsburgh-penguins-trade-targets-better-erik-karlsson] * undefined * undefined
