Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson wants to be 'that reliable guy'

Like all of us, Marcus Pettersson is aware of the rumors that circulate about any and all NHL players during the offseason.

Unlike most of us, Pettersson occasionally has been the subject of that speculation going back to the 2021 offseason.

He’s not oblivious to any of it.

But he doesn’t dwell on it.

Especially since he was ultimately not one of the defensemen Penguins management opted to jettison this past offseason.

“You kind of hear talks a little bit, but you try not to think about it,” Pettersson said. “Especially in the summer like that. You can’t change anything. You try to keep your head down and work, no matter where you’re going to work. It’s always tough to see your friends and teammates go. But I feel like the guys we’ve got here now are really good guys to come in. Great people, too. I’m really excited to see what they can bring.”

Out are Mike Matheson and John Marino, Pettersson’s long-time partner.

In are Jan Rutta, Ty Smith and Jeff Petry, Pettersson’s new partner.

Through most of training camp and the preseason, Pettersson and Petry were stitched to one another. The duo appeared in two games this preseason and logged 26 minutes, 49 seconds of common five-on-five ice time, according to Natural Stat Trick.

They are expected to enter the regular season as the team’s new second pairing.

“It’s awesome to play with him,” Pettersson said. “He’s a veteran of the game. He’s just a really steady guy that reads the game well. The more that we’re going to play with each other, the more we’re going to find out each other’s tendencies and what not. We’ve got pretty good communication out there, and we can easily talk with each other. It’s a work in progress, but it’s getting better for sure.”

It’s fair to wonder how much Pettersson has improved since the Penguins plucked him out of the Anaheim Ducks’ nest via trade in December 2018.

After admitting he didn’t feel he “took that next step” in his development following the 2020-21 season, he appeared to stall a bit during the 2021-22 campaign. Late in the regular season, Pettersson was a healthy scratch for six games.

“There is another (step), for sure,” Pettersson said. “I think the start of last season was really good for me. Then I kind of (regressed) a little bit, I would say (second) half but the later half a little bit. Then I really stepped up in the playoffs, I think. … We had some injuries in the playoffs, (defenseman Brian Dumoulin) was out. That kind of gave me a chance to get some more minutes.

“For myself at least — I don’t know what everybody else thinks — I thought I took another step in how well I want to play and be that steady guy that can be relied on. I know I’m not the player who is going to go coast to coast and do awesome things every play. Just try to be that reliable guy.”

That’s a sentiment management have clearly imbued onto Pettersson.

“Just consistent play from him,” said associate coach Todd Reirden, who oversees the Penguins’ defensemen. “Every play, it looks a little different for. And for him, especially in his role that he’s been currently cast in, is being in that top-four, being able to play against the other team’s top players or second-tier players and being consistent shift to shift. That’s defending first and making sure that he’s a reliable, dependable guy that can play in that top four. He’s had a really good training camp and taken this challenge thus far of being with Jeff to start with here.”

There’s nothing that guarantees Pettersson remains on that pairing or even with the team. He is entering the third year of a five-year contract with a salary cap hit of $4,025,175. While he has played adequately by the standards of most second-pairing defenseman, life would be easier for management if it found away to shed some salary in the immediate or long-term future.

Pettersson knows this. He also knows he has control over his own narrative.

“In this sport and in this league, you’ve always got to perform every day to be where you want to be,” Pettersson said. “It’s a performance-driven league. You’ve got to take each day as your last kind of and keep getting better. There’s always going to be talks, and I’ve been through that for a couple years now. I can only control what I can and try to look at it that way.”

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