Defense becomes area to watch as Karlsson uncertainty continues
The season draws closer and the Pittsburgh blueline might start out much different than expected
It’s early for alarm bells but coach Mike Sullivan’s not-that-reassuring word salad about Erik Karlsson’s status raised an eyebrow on Thursday. Karlsson hasn’t come back to the ice since then, being kept off the ice in the name of the rehab process.
Mike Sullivan on Erik Karlsson, who has yet to skate with the team during camp due to an upper-body injury:
— Pens Inside Scoop (@PensInsideScoop) September 28, 2024
“He’s scheduled to be off the ice this weekend and then we’ll go from there. That’s just part of the rehab process and where he’s at right now.”
Sullivan is optimistic that Karlsson’s ailment won’t be long-lasting, but the team has been starting to take steps to prepare for how they might start the regular season without their star defender.
It’s not going to be pretty for Pittsburgh on their right side defense in an outlook without Karlsson. 37-year old Kris Letang can slide back into his customary top pair role, but then the picture becomes dire. Rookie Jack St. Ivany started practicing with Marcus Pettersson last week. Besides Letang, St. Ivany is the only other healthy, surefire NHL caliber right-handed defenseman in the organization. Sebastian Aho can play on his off-side, and Ryan Shea might be a candidate to do so as well.
There was another interesting item from last night’s preseason game against Ottawa. 2024 draftee Harrison Brunicke played in the game with Pettersson. Brunicke has been a fast-rising star with the Penguins in just the few months since he was drafted in the second round. Brunicke did well July’s development camp, then starred in Buffalo in the Prospect Challenge and has done well in camp.
Is Brunicke a full time NHL player in 2024-25? That might be a big ask and too much of a step forward. Could he start the season in Pittsburgh (and play up to nine games before being re-assigned to junior to not burn a year of his contract)? That might be a different question that is under evaluation at the moment.
If an immediate NHL look is too much too soon for Brunicke, the Pens can resort to the default of leaning on Letang and using St. Ivany and Aho on their right side until Karlsson returns.
The troubling bit about Karlsson is that he hasn’t been on the ice in perhaps as much as over a week at this point. Sullivan couched his optimism in the coach-speak that only he can do, but it’s been positive to this point. So watching Karlsson’s actions in the upcoming week will be telling as well. If he’s back on the ice, even playing in the Thursday or Friday preseason game then there won’t be any fire behind the smoke that has developed in his murky preseason.
It would be very Karlsson-like to miss most or all of the preseason then coast in and go back to playing 25+ minutes per game as soon as the games matter. But with the calendar about to turn to October tomorrow and the regular season opener (Oct. 9th) coming closer and closer, it’s full on time to see how the Pens will gear up for the start of the campaign and what the status of their top blueliner will be.