There was little doubt that the recent iterations of the Pittsburgh Penguins‘ defensive corps performed poorly, but remarkably, some steps backward have provided leaps forward.
The large issues were ever-present. Turnovers, missed assignments, and soft zone coverage became a regular haunting in too frequent losses. Yet, the 2025-26 version with castoffs, aging stars, and spare parts has become a team strength.
But not without some questions.
The Penguins’ renewed interest in a team defensive concept is more than helpful. Still, the defensemen have more than carried their weight in the constantly renegotiated relationship with forwards over zone responsibility.
Like the rest of the Penguins’ coaching staff, assistant coach Mike Stothers might lack the notoriety of other coaches who work with defensemen. Yet when grading the blue liners, there should also be a positive note for the boisterous coach who likes to bang the glass to up the intensity and energy at practice.
Overall, the unit has benefited greatly from a resurgent Erik Karlsson, who has lifted the team with his D-zone escapes and puck distribution.
Penguins Grades: Defensemen
Erik Karlsson: A
The 35-year-old defenseman had a rough patch for two seasons under former coach Mike Sullivan. It wasn’t necessarily a contentious relationship, but Karlsson didn’t feel the Penguins system suited him and general manager Kyle Dubas admitted a long conversation with Karlsson following his first season, 2023-24.
New coach. New results. With Dan Muse’s redesign of the Penguins game, Karlsson has returned to being a No. 1 defenseman. His silky smooth breakout passes and ability to skate out of the zone put the Penguins on the attack rather than the defensive.
His power play work has kept the Penguins’ man-advantage unit in the top five for most of the season.
Karlsson has 35 points (4-31-35) in 51 games.
Kris Letang: B-
His grade early in the season might have hovered just above an F. However, the Penguins’ stalwart steadily improved through the first four months of the season before suffering a fractured foot.
After the Penguins acquired Brett Kulak and Muse paired the two, Letang’s game went from passable to good. In 50 games, Letang has 25 points, including three goals.
Letang, 38, has flashed his past form with some fast breakouts and offensive zone activations, but has made a point to be more defensively responsible, too.
Brett Kulak: A?
Kulak seemed like a throw-in to balance the salaries in the Tristan Jarry for Stuart Skinner trade, but the left-hander has added a surprising level of stability for the Penguins’ blue line.
Kulak won’t wow fans with offensive rushes or thundering hits. Instead, his reliability serves as a strong base for the occasional offensive contribution and stellar, tight-gap defense.
Parker Wotherspoon: A+
Wotherspoon, 28, has probably far exceeded the Penguins’ expectations when Dubas signed him to a two-year deal on July 1.
The former depth defenseman for the Boston Bruins has asserted himself as a top-four defenseman for the Penguins. He’s increasingly shown a feisty streak with some fierce battles and hard play in the defensive zone.
He has set career highs in games played (56), goals (3), assists (16), and points (19). He also leads the Penguins with 119 hits.
Ryan Shea: A
Shea, 29, has recently submitted yeoman’s work to play the right side despite a left-handed stick. Before the offside switch, Shea was a gritty defenseman with a bit of offense and solid play.
After three-and-a-half years in the AHL, Shea has firmly planted himself in the NHL. He, too, has set career highs in every category.
Ryan Graves: C+
Graves has improved this season after getting multiple recalls from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, where he’s spent most of the season after the team waived him just three seasons into a six-year free agent contract.
He’s been steady and occasionally harder to play against in front of the net, but he’s also had regressions near the net, too. Graves made the most of his time in the AHL and rediscovered some puck play as well as some ill intent in the defensive zone.
Connor Clifton: B-
Clifton has been just fine in the defensive zone, though he’s had some inconsistency from game-to-game. The Penguins’ big hitter is a scrapper who has capably filled the third-pairing.
He’s had a few moments of leaving his post to rattle some teeth, but he’s also dropped the gloves in defense of teammates, too. He’s not necessarily a good puck mover or threat on the fun side of the red line, but has not been a detractor.
Jack St. Ivany: Promising
The 26-year-old greenhorn with only 50 NHL games of experience was returning to his physical, reliable rookie form in the 2023-24 season before suffering a second significant injury this season (hand surgery, out eight weeks), while blocking a shot Jan. 25.
He’s big (6-foot-3), physical, and steady when he’s on his game. Importantly, he’s also right-handed, and his absence has pushed Shea to the right side, and his return could stabilize the defense again.
Caleb Jones: Incomplete
The high-end skater earned a spot ahead of Graves out of camp with superior offensive push and breakouts, but suffered a lower-body injury in the sixth game of the season. Just before his lineup return, the NHL suspended Jones for 20-games after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance (potentially a tainted substance while undergoing exosome therapy).
At the start of the season, Jones and Harrison Brunicke were the team’s third pairing. With Jones, Brunicke was playing his best hockey. After Jones’s injury, Brunicke increasingly struggled.
Harrison Brunicke: Missed Chance
Brunicke, 19, was electric in preseason, but he unplugged at some point during his nine-game NHL run. His rapid regression and struggles put him and the organization in the awkward position of trying to keep him in the NHL and further his development without playing games.
By only playing nine games, the start of Brunicke’s entry-level contract slid one more year. His offensive contributions might soon be impressive. His skating is already NHL worthy, but his defensive game fell apart as he progressed through his nine games.
It was a missed chance, but the 2024 second-round pick will get several more.
Ilya Solovyov: TBD
In five games with the Penguins, Solovyov has three assists but also shown some warts, such as playing too close to the net, even when there is no imminent threat or opponents near the cage. He’s a big defenseman with some power and might prove to be a long-term solution, or might become a depth defenseman as he was with the Colorado Avalanche before Dubas acquired him for minor leaguer Valterri Puustinen.
Matt Dumba: F
There was a spot to claim in the NHL, but Dumba did not. His frustration got the better of him after being waived, but he’s recently begun to excel with the WBS Penguins, scoring 12 points over a five-game stretch.
Owen Pickering: Clock is Ticking
We have seen Pickering’s best. That was in the first 10-15 games of his first NHL stint in 2024-25. But he was too tentative in camp, and that overly cautious play continued. Pickering is still working toward his ultimate player identity, but based on the tone of public comments by Dubas, it seems the organization is a little bit down on the big defenseman.
At 22 years old, Pickering needs to take the big step and force himself back to the NHL.
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