Don’t Worry About John Marino’s Workload, He’s Not

The Pittsburgh Penguins dropped defenseman John Marino into the deep water. The Penguins rookie defenseman is playing on the Penguins top pairing and getting a heavy workload. He’s also scoring more points than he did in college and he seems to be enjoying every minute.

Penguins General Manager gave up only a sixth-round draft pick for Marino, and it was conditional too. In August, the Penguins acquired the Harvard defenseman from the Edmonton Oilers, but few people expected Marino to make the Penguins roster out of training camp or make an immediate impact. Technically, Marino didn’t make the roster out of camp, but he was recalled a day later.

Perhaps the only person who expected this ride was Marino, who told PHN before training camp in September, “Hopefully make the team. That’s the main goal and that’s been the goal from the start.”

Of course, a couple of folks without lives or sin have dug up Pittsburgh Hockey Now’s August coverage of the Penguins-Marino trade to quote the line, “Don’t rush out to buy a Marino jersey just yet.”

Sure, we’ll own the L on that line. Marino’s rise has been as impressive as it has been quick.