The Pittsburgh Penguins training camp is almost finished with just one final preseason game remaining. There has been a lot of talk about who would make the opening night roster, but after the most recent stretch of games the eight defensemen the Penguins plan to start the season with appear to have stepped forward.
Roster Locks There are a handful of players that were all but guaranteed to make the opening night lineup as long as they can manage to remain healthy.
Kris Letang is the number one defenseman in the organization and the team has done well in preseason matchups whenever he is on the ice. He will likely be joined on the top pairing by Olli Maatta, although it will be a bit of a test for the young Finn as the team will no longer be able to shelter his minutes like they had in years past.
The other veteran with a top four pedigree is Ben Lovejoy, who has played rather well in camp despite some troubles during last year’s playoffs. The team will need to make sure not to have him playing a bigger role than he can handle, but he does appear to be capable of being a solid second pair defenseman.
Another possible top four option is Ian Cole, who wowed fans with his performance after the trade deadline last year. However, like Maatta, his usage in the past was mostly limited to third pairing minutes, so it remains to be seen how he holds up when asked to do more. He has had some issues thus far in training camp, but he is certainly one of the best six defensemen right now.
There is also veteran Rob Scuderi who, due to a large salary and a limited no-trade clause in his contract, would be all but impossible to get rid of. Ideally he would be at best a seventh or eighth defenseman on the team, although, the coaching staff continues to speak highly of his supposed ability on the penalty kill, so it is possible that he could wind up in the opening night lineup.
The final player who may be considered a lock is Brian Dumoulin who looks to be set for the third pairing. The coaching staff has been impressed with him since the playoffs last year and have spoken highly of his performance in training camp. His on-ice numbers have not been terribly good though, so it is possible that he rotates in and out of the lineup with the extra defensemen.
Roster Battles With six defensemen more or less guaranteed to be in the opening night lineup that leaves two openings yet to be filled.
The most dynamic of which is Derrick Pouliot, who also happens to be pretty much the only other option that possesses the toolset to play in the top four. He has had his issues in camp, but they are teachable mistakes that he can and will improve upon. Imagine what would have happened if the Penguins had demoted Maatta when he struggled early on, but they let him get better by playing in the NHL and by November was one of their best players. Pouliot is definitely one of the top eight defenders right now, and if they let him play through his mistakes he could develop into a solid top four option.
The other player that jumped ahead to seemingly cement himself in the opening night lineup as one of the best eight defensemen is Adam Clendening. Like Pouliot he has made some mistakes, but the coaching staff has been impressed with his performance. One thing that may very well work in his favor is that he is a right-handed shot. He may end up as the sixth or seventh defenseman, rotating in and out of the lineup on the third pairing. Clendening would have to be exposed to waivers to be sent to the AHL.
The other defensemen that remain in camp fighting for roster spots are Sergei Gonchar, Tim Erixon, and David Warsofsky. After their poor performance in the last preseason game it would suggest that they have not done enough to pass ahead into the top eight. However, if they are concerned about contract issues or playing time then one of them could stick around as an eighth defenseman. Pouliot needs to be playing, so if he isn’t one of the top six he would be better suited down in the AHL. Guys like Gonchar and Erixon won’t suffer much from watching from the press box.
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