The Penguins few free agent options are left on defense

The table was set, the food was served, but now the dishes are almost ready. The NHL’s July 1 free agent frenzy is over, and teams like the Pittsburgh Penguins eager to keep nibbling away have very few options left.

The Penguins have just two left defensemen who were NHL regulars last season, if we include Declan Carlile, whom they signed to a two-year, $3 million contract. The other is Sam Girard.

Of course, the Penguins also have Ryan Graves for three more seasons, but he spent most of last season at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and assistant general manager Jason Spezza’s reaction to Graves’ position in the organization wasn’t overly optimistic.

“Yes, I think we’ve been very clear with Ryan about where he stands. He knows things have to change. He’s changing his approach this summer,” Spezza said on July 1. “He’s going to do everything he can to really get on track. And with an experienced player you always make sure there’s competition and give him the opportunity to earn that place back. But I think Ryan knows where he stands. He’s disappointed with how things have gone so far. It’s up to him to go away a little bit for the summer, put the work in and come back and make an impact.

There is also a player that even PHN has overlooked in recent extrapolations: Caleb Jones. However, Jones was only an NHL regular for one season in his eight-year NHL career, and that was with the LA Kings in 2022-2023.

Jones suffered a clumsy foot injury that kept him out for months, then suffered a shoulder injury that required surgery in April, which meant a recovery time of four to six months.

While it appears the Penguins will have to go shopping to complete their roster and maintain the left-right balance they desire, their options are meager at best as there are only four left-handed defensemen left on the market who were NHL regulars last season.

Logan Stanley. Ben Hutton. Carson Soucy. Matt Grzelczyk.

That’s it. These are the regulars on the free agent market. The others also don’t raise hopes that there is a hidden gem. The Carolina Hurricanes have so far declined to re-sign 28-year-old Mike Reilly, a softer, attacking defenseman who played 42 games last season. Nike Leddy, who is turning 36, is also still on the market, but seems to be nearing the end. And there is also PO Joseph.

If Joseph’s career hadn’t been thwarted early on on multiple levels, that might be a different sentence, but the time for that discussion has passed.

So, do the free agents make sense within the context and needs of the Penguins’ roster? Certainly. Sort of. Maybe.

Stanley, 28, is a hulking D-man who has a reputation for hits and clearing the crease, although statistically he only managed 84 hits in 76 games last season. After acquiring him from the Winnipeg Jets, the Buffalo Sabers landed the 6-foot-4 defenseman in free agency, and as of July 10, he remains unattached.

The downsides are his agility, speed and puck movement, all of which seem important to the Penguins’ style of play.

Ben Hutton, 33, has been rock bottom in Vegas since arriving in 2021-2022. He was their Chad Ruhwedel, their seventh defenseman who always seemed to be in the lineup, always prepared but never spectacular.

Former Vegas coach John Tortorella dressed him for just seven playoff games during the team’s run to the Stanley Cup Final, and at this point in his career, Hutton isn’t going to get any better. And the Penguins filled his vacancy on Vegas’ blue line when they traded Parker Wotherspoon to Vegas for righty Kaedan Korczak.

Hutton would be a beneficial value add, but not a long-term piece or a piece with much trade value at the NHL trade deadline.

Soucy, 31, is now a journeyman and has played for five teams in the past six years. He’s big (6-foot-1, 211 pounds), a defensive back, but he’s also inconsistent. Soucy is a better one-year option than the other free agents and better than what the Penguins have under contract, but not so much that they should immediately throw a contract his way.

Of the options available, Soucy could be the right defender to balance Harrison Brunicke or form a reliable third pair with Trevor van Riemsdyk or Korczak.

Penguins fans got a good look at the 32-year-old Grzelcyk for one year in 2024-2025. He’s a temporary defenseman who didn’t make much of an impact in Chicago last season and may end up on a PTO (professional tryout agreement) in training camp.

And that’s all the Penguins have left to choose from.

Internal options

For those looking to see the young players earn spots in the lineup, the razor-thin options appear to offer 2022 first-round pick Owen Pickering a shortcut to the NHL draft, perhaps midseason if he can maintain his excellent play from the second half of last season and in the playoffs before playing with a broken foot.

And the overlooked Jones is only 29 years old, skates well and can move the puck. His game has some real warts, like turnovers and a lack of physicality, but if he was playing with a TVR or Korczak, the combination would make sense. Lest we forget, he beat out Graves for a spot on the left side last fall, and Brunicke played well next to him.

Or perhaps the summer will be good for Graves, and he will rise to the challenge that has defeated him thus far since signing the six-year transfer deal on July 1, 2023.

But Spezza’s comments on July 1, undermining the importance of the left-right balance, clearly indicated that one of the rightists, probably Van Riemsdyk, was favored.

Otherwise, the internal options are probably the way to go… for a lefty.

Tags: ben hutton carson soucy Nhl free agents Penguins Free agents Ryan graves

Categorized: NHL Free Agency Pittsburgh Penguins