Pittsburgh Penguins News

Home

Quizzes

Newsletter

Erik Karlsson, Pittsburgh Penguins (Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Expectations for Penguins Defensemen in 2025-26

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Zach Alvarado | Last updated Sep 9, 2025 11:55 AM ET

We are less than two weeks away from the Pittsburgh Penguins sending their prospects to the Buffalo Sabres 2025 Prospects Challenge at LECOM Harborcenter. With the prospects looking to make a good first impression on the season, the main roster players will have a ton of preparation to do for the regular season.

From the forward group to the goaltenders, every player on the roster has something to prove this season. The defensive core was a major talking point throughout last season, with some big names being heavily criticized. The 2025-26 season will see some players have to get their careers back on track, while others are looking to prove their worth in the NHL or build on the season they had.

Ryan Graves

From the 2023-24 season to last season, Ryan Graves’ play declined. It wasn’t just his defensive stats or lack of point production from the blue line, but the increase in turnovers. In 70 games during the 2023-24 season, Graves was responsible with the puck, turning it over just 40 times, but 28 of those came in the defensive zone, according to Money Puck. Last season was a different story. In 61 games, he had 63 turnovers, 46 of which came in the defensive zone. With all the mistakes made, the coaching staff could not trust him to be a reliable defenseman, and his time on ice proved that. Reaching nearly 19 minutes a night in 2023-24, his time dropped to just 14 minutes per game last season.

With a new season and a new coaching staff comes a new chance for Graves to show he can still be a reliable defenseman. One thing they will want to see from him is cutting down the mistakes that lead to turnovers. By no means is he going to go through the entire season flawless, but it will be a step forward in proving there was a reason general manager Kyle Dubas signed Graves to his six-year, $27 million contract in 2023.

Kris Letang

Kris Letang enters his 20th season in the league. At 38 years old, he has dealt with a lot on and off the ice. Adversity has been a main characteristic of his game and personal life. From dealing with seizures in 2014 and 2022 to dealing with injuries, it was never uncommon for Letang to always be a difference maker. Last season saw him hit another bump in the road, having one of the worst seasons of his career. In 74 games, he had just nine goals and 30 points.

It’s up for debate if the reasoning is based on the direction of the team, his own doing, or from his health issues, but signs are showing that he is not the offensive player he used to be. Coming off his lowest offensive output since the 2013-14 season, the Penguins will rely on him in a veteran leadership role and for defensive minutes rather than contributing on the scoresheet. The Penguins will want to see him simplify his game to also prevent giveaways, having the second-most last season with 100.

Ryan Shea

Ryan Shea broke through last season with a solid stint with the Penguins. After spending most of his professional career in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Texas Stars and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, he began looking like a bottom-six caliber NHL defenseman last season. Because of that, he earned a one-year, two-way contract extension, which runs through the 2025-26 season.

Though he’s not the most skilled defenseman, he doesn’t need to be when his best aspect is his defensive play and compete level. When Shea signed his contract, then-head coach Mike Sullivan praised him, saying, “He plays the game with some moxie. If he makes a mistake, it doesn’t bother him.” Shea will need to show more of that this season. He can be a solid top-pairing defenseman who provides dependable minutes and strong defensive play. With his contract at $900,000, it’s a low-risk, high-reward situation for the Penguins.

Erik Karlsson

Since Erik Karlsson joined the Penguins via trade, his presence has been lackluster. Despite notching 87 assists and 109 points in 164 games, his play hasn’t been that of his Norris Trophy-winning season in 2022-23. One big issue with him has been giveaways. In 2023-24, he turned the puck over 71 times, 41 of which came in his own zone. When you thought it couldn’t possibly get worse, he nearly doubled that total last season with 140 turnovers, with 71 in the defensive zone.

As Karlsson enters the 2025-26 season with the Penguins, despite trade rumors over the last few months, the Penguins will be expecting a bounce-back season. Dubas will be looking for consistency from Karlsson, and not just on the scoresheet. Though he’s established himself as a more offensive defenseman, the Penguins will need Karlsson to be better defensively before he leans into his offensive instincts.

The Penguins will be banking on him to be the anchor of their blue line and the catalyst on the power play. However, everything he does will be closely watched not just by the coaching staff, but general managers of other teams as well. If Karlsson can find a way to balance the offensive and defensive sides of his game better, he could become more reliable and help the Penguins be a more competitive team.

Parker Wotherspoon

With the addition of Parker Wotherspoon in the offseason, the Penguins bolstered the left side of their blue line with physicality. With the Boston Bruins, he showed how versatile a defenseman he can be. He logged big minutes when needed, played a bottom-pairing role, and even killed penalties. The Penguins will rely heavily on his versatility, as well as his knack for making strong first passes on the breakout. Should he be able to provide stability along the blue line like they hope he can, they could look better defensively than they did the last two seasons.

Connor Clifton

When Dubas acquired Connor Clifton, the major thing that was talked about was the physicality he brings to the team. There’s a good reason that was the talking point. Just last season, Clifton led the Buffalo Sabres in hits with 208. To put it into perspective, the next two players had 191 and 136 hits, respectively. The coaching staff will emphasize discipline within his physicality. By discipline, I am not talking about not taking penalties, as that is a given, but more so not getting caught out of position trying to throw the body.

It’s no secret that the Penguins’ defense has been a huge issue for some time now. While it won’t be fixed right away, they do look to be heading in the right direction with some of the players they’ve added. Each defenseman will have certain expectations of them this season. Some will have higher expectations than others, but it’s all about pulling the team in the right direction.