Maybe Sully is showcasing him?

Edit: Pettersson only played 12:30 yesterday. Never mind.

We'll gladly take him in Detroit. 👍

Pettersson and Marino haven't been struggling this year despite the weird narrative being pushed around by guys like Friedman (who has little idea what is happening in Pittsburgh since the management change).

The two have performed well as a shut-down pairing this year. Their defensive impacts are great.




So why is Pettersson getting healthy scratched and given third-pairing minutes now?

A few factors:

Pettersson is not a powerplay or penalty kill guy, which is a big deal to the coaches in Pittsburgh. They make a lot of lineup decisions based on who's available to PK. When a guy like Mark Friedman is playing well enough to earn a bigger look, the D that comes out is going to be the guy that isn't on the PK.

He's not a traditional heavy shut-down defender that can push guys out of the crease, nor is he dynamic in the offensive zone. I believe this is one of the major concerns with a Marino-Pettersson second pairing. Not enough offense. No one to clear the crease (even if their overall positive impact makes this less necessary) in the playoffs. The Marino-Matheson pairing seems to be an attempt to get some balance here. Matheson is more physical and adds more offense.

The Penguins have three LD making $4+ million, which is too many. It make sense to look into whether they can move one. They desperately need cap space for the offseason. PO Joseph is ready for a spot in the NHL this year or next and has a simliar profile to Pettersson. Tall, skinny, LD that can skate well and plays a solid overall game.

Mike Matheson has been the Penguins best LD this season and has earned a bigger role.



Mark Friedman (who plays LD despite being a right shot) has been really good in the few games he's played and draws a bunch of penalties by being a pest.



Dumoulin hasn't been good but is viewed as the default partner for Letang, plays a major PK role, and is unlikely to be traded or given less opportunity. Personally, I would look to be giving Pettersson more ice time on the top pairing to see if that works (and explore trading Dumoulin this year and next) but I can see why they are doing what they are doing.

It just seems a bit crazy to me considering how well they’ve performed this season. I feel like Pettersson could be a penalty killer if given the chance. There’s nothing wrong with our current PK units. I trust with what Sully is doing. But sometimes it just gets confusing.

I kind of think that about him too. Why not give him more opportunity there (other than when a d is in the penalty box)?

But the reality is that Rutherford kinda made a mess out of the situation by getting three LD making $4+ million.

That’s true. Despite them all being good it just still doesn’t help that they are all paid $4M.