The Pittsburgh Penguins Defence Will Be Pressured to have a Strong 2025-26

The Pittsburgh Penguins defence group came into the offseason with a litany of questions, and looks to start the season with even more. An already shaky defensive structure has gotten shakier due to some impressive showings in training camp. Veteran stars Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang are the only true locks. Past them, the defensive structure is stilted, with a lot of players fighting for limited spots.

The Locks

The only true locks for the Pittsburgh Penguins defence group are the aforementioned Karlsson and Letang. Coming into his third season with Pittsburgh, Karlsson’s already shown an ability to produce points with the team. He had 56 points in 2023-24, before following it up with a 53-point season in 2024-25. He’s shown incredible durability as well, playing all 82 games in each season with the Penguins.

He’ll share top duties with Kris Letang. A Penguins legend, Letang has begun to alter his playstyle as he ages. The 38-year-old, right-handed defenceman scored just 30 points last season, a relatively low total for the offensively-minded rearguard. This is due to his focus on playing a more defensively responsible style as he ages. As Letang continues to settle into a more muted role, he’ll be invaluable in helping develop the younger crop of Penguins defencemen.

The Question Marks

Through the various dealings for assets general Kyle Dubas has made, he’s amassed an impressive amount of draft picks and prospects. However, a lot of these moves were made by taking on unwanted players from other teams. Through the purchase and subsequent flips of players like Conor Timmins, Cody Glass, and Anthony Beauvillier, the Penguins have settled into a rhythm of acquiring question marks and rehabbing their play enough to sell for further assets. This season, Matt Dumba and Connor Clifton are prime examples to look at.

Dumba, 31, is an offensive defenceman who’s struggled to produce since suffering a lower-body injury in late 2024. Scoring just 10 points last season, the right-shot defenceman will need to play much better for consistent time in the lineup. Similarly, Connor Clifton saw his performance drop off following a move to the Buffalo Sabres. The physical defenceman has shown an ability to play with an edge, which he’ll need to display this season. Finally, left-shot defenceman Ryan Graves will be under a microscope in 2025-26 as well. Signed by the Penguins in the 2023-24 offseason, Graves’ time in Pittsburgh has been disastrous. However, the rebuilding Penguins still have him number 1 on the left-shot defensive depth chart, meaning he’ll have plenty of opportunity to prove himself this year.

The Fringe Guys

Every year, an NHL team looks to have one or two fringe defencemen in the organization to ensure a seamless transition in case of injury. This year, the Penguins have four. Alexander Alexeyev and Parker Wotherspoon were both signed in the off-season. Both defencemen had noticeable potential early in their careers that they haven’t been able to capitalize on. The Penguins hope to see one or both of them rehab to a level of Conor Timmins. Timmins was a similar defenceman whose time in Pittsburgh led to a multi-year contract and third-pairing role with the Buffalo Sabres.

In addition to Alexeyev and Wotherspoon, the Penguins also have Ryan Shea and Jack St. Ivany in the system. Both Shea and St. Ivany have developed into perfectly fine seventh-pairing defencemen. If any of the aforementioned veterans or upcoming rookies struggle, expect either one of these two to get in the lineup.

The Young Guns

The bright spot for the Pittsburgh Penguins defence group are the young players that could make the jump. First is Owen Pickering. A 2022 first-round pick of the Penguins, Pickering has been developing his game into a reliable bottom-four pair left-defenceman. The 21-year-old defenceman played in 47 games with Wilkes-Barre Scranton last season, scoring two goals and 13 points. Pickering also got an extended look in the NHL in 2024-25 as well. With a few players out with injury, Pickering appeared in 25 games. In these games, he scored a goal and three assists. Importantly, Pickering didn’t look too out of place, instead providing adequate play for a struggling team. The Penguins hope Pickering can develop further into a true top-four defenceman, and his development could continue in the NHL this year.

Possibly the most exciting prospect in the Penguins’ system at the moment is Harrison Brunicke. The 2024 second-round pick has dramatically raised his stock since being drafted. Brunicke is a fantastic two-way, right-handed defenceman who’s not afraid to make finesse plays to generate offence. He made a name for himself at Penguins training camp last season, following this up with a five-goal, 30-point performance in 41 games with the Kamloops Blazers. Once their season ended, Brunicke scored two assists in 10 games with the Wilkes-Barre Penguins. This preseason has been another coming-out party for Brunicke. He’s responded to getting increased reps with solid performances on both ends of the ice. Set to play in a couple more preseason games, Harrison Brunicke may be able to break into a relatively weak defensive group early instead of returning back to the WHL.

A Dizzying Amount of Decisions

The Pittsburgh Penguins’ defence group leaves them with a lot of decisions. With only Karlsson and Letang being true shoo-ins night in and night out, a large group of defencemen are prepared to battle it out for the remaining roster spots. With players like Dumba, Graves and Clifton hoping to return to higher levels of play, the Penguins are set to showcase a rotating cast of defencemen in the 2025-26 season.