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Marcus Pettersson on First Line Provides Dependability to Penguins Defense

Originally posted on FanNation Inside The Penguins
By Nick Horwat | Last updated 12/20/23

Marcus Pettersson didn’t have the smoothest of starts when he first arrived to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

For a solid three seasons, Pettersson was a headline name in Penguins’ trade rumors and usully one of the easiest names to move.

Pettersson is a young, steady defenseman so he would almost certainly fetch a solid return, but something changed in 2022-23 that has carried into this season and made him a vital piece of the organization.

Ever since the start of the 2022-23 season, Pettersson has progressed into one of the best defensive defenseman in the Penguins lineup.

On multiple occasions he out-played the likes of Brian Dumoulin and Pierre-Olivier Joseph and deserved looks on the top defensive pair.

It came a few times, but this year, with the struggles or Ryan Graves mounting, Pettersson was moved right back up alongside Kris Letang.

The Penguins are sticking with the same workflow they used in Monday's win over Minnesota:

Guentzel-Crosby-Rakell
Smith-Malkin-Puustinen
Zohorna-Eller-O’Connor
Harkins-Acciari-Carter
Pettersson-Letang
Graves-Karlsson
Ludvig-Ruhwedel
— Pens Inside Scoop (@PensInsideScoop) December 20, 2023

Head coach Mike Sullivan stated that this move was made because results matter and Pettersson’s steady hand could be more useful on the first pairing.

The move was made to promote smarter play from each other three defensive lines, and in their first contest together that’s exactly what happened.

Sullivan noted after the win over the Minnesota Wild that the Penguins made fewer errors and weren’t as risky with the puck.

Pettersson has a familiarity with Letang and sometimes playing with a high-level offensive defenseman like Erik Karlsson, Graves might be forced to step up in a defensive mindset.

If Graves can find a rhythm alongside Karlsson, the Penguins should have a much more consistent a safer group of defenders.

This article first appeared on FanNation Inside The Penguins and was syndicated with permission.

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