The Pittsburgh Penguins are scheduled to report to training camp Wednesday with the first day of on-ice activities coming Thursday. Here is a look at their depth at the right-side defensemen:
For reasons no one seems to know, right-handed defensemen are something of a precious commodity in the NHL.
So, if you get one, it’s something of a minor victory.
When you find a way to get two who have credentials worthy of the Hockey Hall of Fame, that’s a resounding triumph.
At the dawn of the 2023-24 season, the Penguins have two of the best right-handed defensemen in NHL history in their employ. Newcomer Erik Karlsson (761 points) and incumbent Kris Letang (691 points) are seventh and eighth, respectively, on the NHL’s list of career scorers among right-handed defensemen.
The only problem they present — and it’s a glorious imbroglio to have the task of solving — is figuring out which of them is going to be the team’s top defenseman.
For more than a decade, Letang has had that designation and has merely become the most accomplished defenseman in franchise history. A six-time All-Star, he has been a member of the franchise’s three most recent Stanley Cup championships.
But at 36, it’s fair to be curious about where he is physically, especially following a trying 2022-23 season in which he had to overcome a stroke — the second of his career — as well as a foot injury (to say nothing of the death of his father).
Despite those impediments, he had 41 points (12 goals, 29 points) in 64 games while averaging 24:51 of ice time per contest.
To supplement Letang — or even supplant him to some degree — Penguins president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas orchestrated one of the biggest trades in NHL history Aug. 6 by acquiring Karlsson from the San Jose Sharks, less than two months after he claimed the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the league’s top defenseman.
The 33-year-old Karlsson posted historic numbers last season by becoming the first defenseman in over 30 years to reach the 100-point barrier. Appearing in all 82 games for a poor Sharks team, Karlsson had 101 points (25 goals, 76 assists) and clocked 25:37 of ice time per contest.
Who will be on the first pairing?
There probably isn’t a wrong answer to that query. Just two right ones.
Things drop off quite a bit after those two.
Reliable reserve Chad Ruhwedel, who has been a regular in an NHL lineup only one season in his 11-year NHL career, is the incumbent favorite to claim the right side role on the third pairing.
Last season, Ruhwedel appeared in 47 games and had five points (one goal, four assists) while offering his typically inert presence on the ice. That’s to say little — good or bad — happened during his shifts.
Left-handed prospect Ty Smith, a first-round pick (No. 17 overall) by the New Jersey Devils in 2018, was briefly used on the right side last season to some success. Given that he is no longer exempt from waivers for any assignments to a minor league affiliate, he might be deployed on the right side again due to a lack of other options.
Another incumbent option is Mark Friedman. A right-hander who can play either side of the blue line, he offers versatility, skating and a willingness to get physical.
Mark Pysyk, a 10-year veteran, was signed to a professional tryout contract Aug. 30 and is looking to make a comeback from an Achilles tendon injury that wiped out his entire 2022-23 season.
A first-round pick of the Buffalo Sabres in 2010, Pysyk offers plenty of acumen as a puck mover if he can rebound physically.
Seth Rorabaugh is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Seth by email at srorabaugh@triblive.com or via Twitter .
