Kris Letang's season has not gotten off to the start that he, or anybody else, was expecting. However, the defenseman showed signs of life over the weekend and Pittsburgh Penguins fans should exercise patience with his return to form. The Pittsburgh Penguins Black Friday matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers will mark the quarter point of the 2022-23 season. The Penguins have had a roller coaster start to the year. After jumping out to a fast start, they suffered a historic losing streak before bouncing back in recent weeks. Brian Metzer [https://twitter.com/Brian_Metzer] of the Penguins Radio Network joined the podcast to discuss some of the biggest Penguins storylines at the quarter mark of the season. Kasperi Kapanen was signed to a two-year contract with the Penguins this past summer but already finds himself out of the lineup and into trade rumors. Kapanen scored five points (1 goal- 4 assists) in the Penguins first five games of the season but followed that with seven straight scoreless games before he was scratched earlier this month. Kapanen has been replaced on the Penguins third line by a surging Brock McGinn. McGinn's elevation to the middle six has sparked a scoring touch that has netted the 28-year-old winger five goals in his past seven games. The rest of the third line has been unproductive, but McGinn's stretch has made up for his linemates scoring struggles. One of the most pleasant surprises of the Penguins season has been the play of Pierre-Olivier Joseph. Joseph made the team out of camp for the first time in his career and has recently received a bump in his responsibilities on the Penguins blue line. According to Natural Stat Trick, [https://www.naturalstattrick.com/playerteams.php?fromseason=20222023&thruseason=20222023&stype=2&sit=5v5&score=all&stdoi=oi&rate=n&team=PIT&pos=D&loc=B&toi=0&gpfilt=none&fd=&td=&tgp=410&lines=single&draftteam=ALL] Joseph leads all Penguins defensemen (minimum ten games played) in 5v5 shot attempts percentage (54.07%) and 5v5 scoring chances percentage (52.63%). Once thought to be on the trade block, Joseph is proving his importance to this Penguins blue line. Brian Metzer discussed these storylines and more on the latest episode of The Tip of the Ice-Burgh Podcast. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sg4k5yREWC8[/embed] Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguins [http://insidethepenguins.com/]for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more! Penguins Honor Evgeni Malkin with Pre-Game Video [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/news/pittsburgh-penguins-honor-evgeni-malkin-pregame-video] Former Penguins Congratulate Evgeni Malkin on 1,000 Games [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/news/pittsburgh-penguins-evgeni-malkin-former-teammates-congratulate-1000-games] Penguins Weekly Winners and Losers, Living and Dying by Offense [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/pens-talk/pittsburgh-penguins-weekly-winners-losers-living-dying-offense] Mike Sullivan Says Penguins' PK Playing with Confidence [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/news/pittsburgh-penguins-mike-sullivan-penalty-kill-confidence] Penguins Promote Ty Hennes to Assistant Coach [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/news/pittsburgh-penguins-promote-ty-hennes-assistant-coach] * undefined * undefined