Penguins A to Z: Marcus Pettersson is defined by reliability

As the NHL prepares for a new season scheduled to start in mid-January, the Tribune-Review will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 48 individuals under NHL contract with the organization, from mid-level prospect Niclas Almari to high-profile trade acquisition Jason Zucker.

Marcus Pettersson

Position: Defenseman

Shoots: Left

Age: 24

Height: 6-foot-3

Weight: 177 pounds

2019-20 NHL statistics: 69 games, 22 points (two goals, 20 assists)

Contract: First year of a five-year contract with a salary cap hit of $4,025,175. Pending unrestricted free agent in 2025

Acquired: Trade, Dec. 3, 2018

Last season: Before John Marino, there was Marcus Pettersson.

In December of 2018, the Penguins plucked the unassuming prospect out of the Anaheim Ducks’ ranks and threw him right into lineup hoping he would find a way to carve out a role on a blue line full of veterans.

Just a little over two years later, Pettersson is the team’s most consistent, reliable and steady presence.

That’s not an opinion. It’s a fact.

No, really.

Since making his debut with the team Dec. 4, 2018, Pettersson has appeared in 126 consecutive games, the longest such active streak on the team.

Aside from avoiding injury, a considerable accomplishment with this squad, Pettersson has given coaches every reason to keep him in the lineup. Blessed with a long, gangly reach, Pettersson takes up a lot of space on the ice and prevents a lot of passes or shots, but by no means is he a slow, plodding oaf. A smooth skater, he has the mobility and keen positioning usually to keep up with opposing waterbug wingers pushing play up the ice.

Usually.

At the onset of the 2019-20 campaign, Pettersson was promoted to the second pairing with veteran Justin Schultz. As Schultz struggled to stay in the lineup because of various injuries, Marino joined Pettersson and that duo logged the team’s second-most common five-on-five ice time among defensemen at 375 minutes, 42 seconds, according to Natural Stat Trick.

In terms of overall deployment, Pettersson averaged 19:24 of total ice time per contest, a notable increase over the 16:41 he logged the previous season.

Pettersson’s offensive game saw some slight growth as well as he was utilized on the second power-play unit, even on the relatively rare occasions the Penguins had a healthy lineup. He averaged 50 seconds of ice time with the man advantage last season.

If Pettersson could be accused of any bad habits, it’s that he occasionally seemed to rely on his reach too often instead of using the body or his skating to snuff out an opposing offensive chance.

Entering the 2019-20 season, Pettersson was a restricted free agent and agreed to a one-year deal worth only $874,125 in order to avoid missing training camp. By Jan. 28, the Penguins were in position to secure Pettersson’s services for the long haul and signed him to multi-year extension.

When the NHL season was halted in mid-March because of the coronavirus pandemic, Pettersson was three points short of matching his career high of 25.

This season: During the first practice of training camp Monday, Pettersson was back where he was most of last season with Marino as well as on the second power-play unit, also with Marino.

It will be interesting to see how Pettersson functions under a new assistant coach overseeing the defense in Todd Reirden after flourishing so much in a short amount of time under predecessors Sergei Gonchar and Jacques Martin. An intelligent player who has the proverbial high hockey IQ, Pettersson shares some qualities with Reirden in that regard.

Curiously, Pettersson hasn’t been utilized much on the penalty kill since joining the Penguins. Last season, he recorded only 1:16 of average short-handed ice time per contest. With the offseason departure of defenseman Jack Johnson, who led all Penguins blue liners in average penalty-kill ice time last season at 2:12, Pettersson could be a candidate to inherit some extra shifts in that area.

Regardless of how he’s used, it’s safe to assume Pettersson will continue to be defined by his reliability.

Follow the Penguins all season long.