Penguins Blog: 3 Ways to Clear Space for Brunicke, Pickering

The elongated preseason has become a chore to the veterans and increased the risk of injury. Yet the tedious nature of playing five games that don’t count in six days has also given rise to a couple of Pittsburgh Penguins defensemen prospects who otherwise might not have felt the sun on their face or nearly as much NHL ice beneath their skates.

They could also give rise to the opportunity for Penguins president of hockey operations/GM Kyle Dubas to push forward on the parallel rebuild he began last spring by trading veterans for draft picks.

Owen Pickering and Harrison Brunicke, the two prospects in question, have not only acquitted themselves well against NHL competition in the preseason, but they also have higher ceilings still to be realized. As an added benefit, both would cost under $900,000 each because they would be in the first year of their entry-level contracts.

Could Dubas take the bold stroke of clearing space for one or both?

Wednesday, coach Mike Sullivan officially kicked open the possibility that Brunicke could stick around, especially as Erik Karlsson deals with an upper-body injury.

Read More: Sullivan Opens Door for Brunicke to Make Penguins Roster

It might be the emotional play, but there’s also a strong argument that creating space for Brunicke and Pickering now would have long-term benefits as the players mature.

Realities & Consequences

First, after going through all of the exercises, it’s quickly apparent that there probably isn’t room for both without a major shakeup–and the risks to the 2024-25 team would be significant.

The left side of the Penguins blue line currently projects to Matt Grzelcyk, Marcus Pettersson, and Ryan Graves, with Ryan Shea or Sebastian Aho as the depth defenseman.

The safe play would be to send Pickering to WBS, keeping Shea as the insurance policy against injury on the right side or if Graves is ineffective, and letting Pickering grow in a low-pressure environment.

But when was the last time the Penguins had a 6-foot-5 defenseman who weighed more than 200 pounds and could join the rush and defend at the net front? Pickering may not project as an All-Star defenseman, but as he adds layers to his game, he’s becoming an all-around defenseman capable of contributing in all phases.

What about Brunicke?

The smooth-skating defenseman took the Penguins’ universe by the ear and made them pay attention Tuesday night against the Detroit Red Wings. Pettersson’s insights painted a picture of a player who is ready for the big show.

Pettersson drew a sharp contrast between Brunicke and most young defensemen, who get rid of the puck instead of controlling the play; they try to avoid making a mistake. Pettersson doesn’t see any fear from Brunicke.

“He wants the puck. He wants the puck all the time,” Pettersson said. “It’s fun to see. He wants to make plays–It’s fun to play with.”

Bear in mind that Brunicke is ineligible to play in the AHL for the next two seasons. So, his options are exclusively the NHL or the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL.

“He’s making an impact. He’s so active off the rush. He’s active off the offensive blue line. He got a number of scoring chances. He was part of the goal. He’s defending hard,” said Sullivan Tuesday night. “We really like his progress throughout the course of camp. His confidence is growing. I thought he had another terrific game.”

Keeping one or both would be a nod to the Penguins’ future, though it would take a high level of bravery from Sullivan to trust a rookie defenseman on a team that already faces an uphill playoff battle. In addition to courage from the head coach, it would take a blockbuster or just short from Dubas.

The odds aren’t good.

3 Ways to Keep Young Defensemen

1. LHD Trades

Some fans may recall that John Marino was part of a roster logjam after his rookie camp in 2019, but former Penguins GM Jim Rutherford kept working. Rutherford cleared roster space for Marino a couple of weeks after camp by trading Erik Gudbranson in a salary dump to Anaheim on Oct. 25.

Rutherford expressed regret over the trade but did it anyway.

Dubas may very well be on the clock, and just because the Penguins don’t make space now doesn’t mean the situation is over.

If Sullivan deems Pickering worthy, would Dubas fast-track a trade of pending free agent Pettersson to make room?

Moving Graves would be far more difficult and perhaps costly. Graves has five years remaining on his contract, including this season, and moving on would likely cost valuable assets.

Read More: Path for Penguins to Trade Ryan Graves; Won’t be Easy

Matt Grzelcyk won’t have much trade value until he re-establishes his value with a strong season. Also, he’s penciled in to be the top-pairing defenseman.

2. Press Box & Rotations

The most likely scenario.

Sullivan could move Graves to the press box, or, in a more extreme move, Dubas could move him to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to create space on the left side.

However, moving Graves to the AHL could also have consequences. Though it would save $1.15 million on his $4.5 million salary cap hit, sending him to the AHL would essentially destroy any potential trade value and could deflate the player, losing any chance of getting to his best game.

Making Graves the seventh defenseman, as Sullivan did late last season, would seem quite plausible if he hasn’t answered questions by the end of training camp or early in the season.

The right side of the Penguins’ defense would present more difficulty clearing space because Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson are supremely talented–some of the best in the game. There will be no scratches or demotions.

Jack St. Ivany certainly doesn’t deserve to be scratched; he’s done nothing but continue to improve. St. Ivany is the Penguins’ net-front battler and has shown a more mobile quality in the preseason. In short, the 6-foot-4, 200-pound defenseman has also looked very good.

Perhaps Sullivan would be amendable to a platoon between St. Ivany and Brunicke, but that seems like a muddy solution with as many drawbacks as positives.

3. Silly Season Talk

A right-handed defenseman trade would be selling low or a blockbuster. Righty defensemen are similar to baseball’s left-handed relief pitchers. They are always in demand, and their value is greater than their counterparts, but St. Ivany’s value to the Penguins is much greater to the Penguins than it is in a trade.

On the blockbuster side, we can think of at least one West Coast team that could use a high-value right-handed defenseman and will have millions to spend. The LA Kings have lost Drew Doughty for most of the season to a broken ankle and subsequent surgery.

LA has Stanley Cup aspirations–would they be willing to pay for Karlsson in both salary and trade ask? Would Karlsson be willing to go?

No, we’re not reporting trade talks between the LA Kings and Penguins, but this is a prime example of the type of trade that would be necessary to clear space for Brunicke.

It seems injuries are mounting during the preseason and training camp across the NHL. In a few days, there may be a team that feels a greater urgency or begins to feel they need a defenseman–a trading partner just as Rutherford found with Anaheim.

After a few very positive results in preseason games, as well as an obvious and noticeable growth in training camp, the Penguins’ pair of young defensemen should be under serious consideration for jobs. Under different circumstances, both might be shoe-ins by now. However, the solid right side–St. Ivany has also been very good in training camp, and the preseason–combined with the crowded left side, would require some bold strokes by Dubas.

It’s been done before.