What Are the Penguins Going to Look Like? Part II: The Defense and Goalies
On Friday, I detailed what I thought our forward lines would look like if we entered the upcoming season with our current roster. Today, I’ll do the same with our defensemen and goalies.
Hoo boy, what fun.
Before I begin in earnest, I need to state my belief that Penguins POHO/GM Kyle Dubas will make every effort to deal mercurial defenseman Erik Karlsson before the summer expires. His acquisitions of veteran right-shot defensemen Connor Clifton and Matt Dumba, to say nothing of the rapid emergence of 2024 second-rounder Harrison Brunicke, virtually demand it.
Same with the recent and surprise addition of goalie Arturs Silovs, which intentionally or otherwise created a logjam in goal. Perhaps a harbinger of a deal involving Tristan Jarry?
Since I don’t have a crystal ball and can’t make predications with any certainty, we’ll go with the status quo.
DEFENSE
First Pairing: Alexander Alexeyev/Parker Wotherspoon (ld), Erik Karlsson (rd)
What Buker? Have you lost your mind?