Pittsburgh Penguins’ Kris Letang, left, and Erik Karlsson sit on the bench during the first period of an NHL hockey preseason game against the Buffalo Sabres in Pittsburgh, Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
As part of the sweeping changes to long-term injured reserve rules and additional collective bargaining changes, the NHL promised to press the CHL to move up the 2026 rule that will allow each team to include one 19-year-old on its AHL roster. Should the rule be implemented immediately, the Pittsburgh Penguins have a perfect candidate.
Enter a potentially new address this season for Harrison Brunicke.
Read More: NHL Rule Changes on LTIR & Cap Effective Immediately; How They Affect Penguins
Brunicke, 19, had a tremendous training camp last season and was within days of making the NHL squad as an 18-year-old.
He is NHL or WHL again this season, at least until the NHL twists the CHL’s arm hard enough to get the new rule implemented this season. Make no mistake, the CHL (the Canadian Hockey League, which governs junior hockey) has fastidiously defended itself for decades against losing players to the minor leagues, and the ongoing negotiations only speak to the resistance the NHL faces.
The right side of the Penguins’ defense corps has more than enough contenders for the NHL roster. While right-handed defensemen and their existence have become as uniquely valuable as left-handed pitchers in baseball, the Penguins have six or seven who could or should be in the NHL this season.
Seven?!
Of course, among the list of Penguins sticks that curve clockwise is Erik Karlsson, whose future remains a bit murky even as general manager Kyle Dubas has hung onto him through the summer, when he was expected to be dealt.
Karlsson was among the players participating in the captain’s practices last week at the UPMC Lemieux Complex. He may not fit the Penguins’ current arc, but he will also be difficult to trade because of his no-movement clause and a $10 million salary cap hit.
Including the three-time Norris Trophy winner, the Penguins also have stalwart Kris Letang, who is expected to be fully recovered and ready for this season after having what was termed minor heart surgery late last season. Connor Clifton, Matt Dumba, Jack St. Ivany, and Brunicke.
“(Brunicke) probably played his way out of junior hockey and might be ready for a step up,” said Penguins director of player development Tom Kostopoulos in July.
So what happens next? What will the Penguins’ blue line look like in a month when the first regular-season puck is about to drop?
CHL relenting makes logical sense to everyone else but the CHL. For the purpose of projections, we’re going to assume the NHL wins the battle with the CHL and Brunicke is able to stick around at either the NHL or AHL level.
Brunicke is a poised, slick defender able to skate well backwards to avoid being beaten, but also join the rush without leaving his team vulnerable. Kostopoulos admitted Brunicke had some bad habits from juniors, but also praised how quickly he addressed them in his short AHL stint at the end of last season.
While the right side is complicated, the left side might be a difficult assembly for coach Dan Muse for different reasons.
The left side had bodies but not as many adequate options.
Ryan Graves, Parker Wortherspoon, Alexander Alexeyev, Owen Pickering, an Ryan Shea will try to fill the spots beside the talented and sometimes unreliable Karlsson and Letang.
With respect to the lefties, only Pickering might have a top-four pedigree. The others would ordinarily project as third-pairing d-men. Graves’s NHL career is teetering after a couple of abysmal years with the Penguins, and Alexeyev has not played much hockey (only 11 combined games in the NHL and AHL last season and 39 the year before) on the last two seasons.
Wortherspoon was a bargain signing. Shea has shown himself to be a reliable defender with a bit of sandpaper, but is he ready to elevate his career to top-four?
Penguins Defense Projection
Pickering-Letang
Wortherspoon-Karlsson
Shea-Clifton
Press box: St. Ivany, Graves
AHL: Dumba, Brunicke, Alexeyev, Sebastian Aho, Caleb Jones.
Prediction: St. Ivany would likely be lost on waivers, so the Penguins have reason to keep him on the NHL roster, but have already recouped what they wanted from the Dumba trade–a second-round pick. A close call should go to the 25-year-old St. Ivany.
Alexeyev probably slips through waivers, but Graves will need to earn the job. Alexeyev could win the job in camp and there would be little chance Graves is claimed on waivers because he has four years remaining on his contract which carries a $4.5 million cap hit.
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