Penguins defenseman Parker Wotherspoon finds value as Erik Karlsson's partner

Generally speaking, there is little value in tracking line combinations and defensive duos during the early days of NHL training camp.

It is a completely nugatory endeavor.

Remember the line of Josh Archibald, Radim Zohorna and Jason Zucker that offered a potentially sophomoric — but wonderfully risible — nickname based on initials?

No, you don’t. That’s because it never saw the light of day beyond a handful of September practice sessions during the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 2022 camp.

How about the blue-line pairing of defensive stalwart Brian Dumoulin with once-promising second-round draft pick Calen Addison from 2019?

Sorry. Addison never played in an NHL contest for the Penguins.

So, suffice it to say, lines and pairings that are formed before training camp, during informal skating sessions in early September, are even more pointless.

Generally.

While the trio of Sam Poulin, Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust may never be manifested beyond a casual scrimmage session on a sunny, 80-degree day, the union of Erik Karlsson and Parker Wotherspoon was initially bonded during what are colloquially called “captain’s skates,” and it has remained intact five-plus weeks into the regular season.

Through Friday, the Karlsson-Wotherspoon duo had logged 257:33 of common five-on-five ice time according to Natural Stat Trick. That is the fifth-highest total among NHL defensive duos this season.

“Obviously, he’s a hell of a defenseman,” Wotherspoon said in Cranberry on Oct. 21. “Three-time (winner of the James Norris Memorial Trophy). He’s a special player. For the most part, I think it’s been going pretty well. We’re playing together well. Reading, talking to each other (well). As the season goes, we’ll even get better.”

Such an assignment is relatively new for Wotherspoon. In his fourth season at the NHL level, the left-handed Wotherspoon spent the previous three campaigns as a reserve with the Boston Bruins and the New York Islanders.

Last season, he set some modest career-highs with the Bruins, appearing in 55 games and posting seven points (one goal, six assists) while averaging 18:02 of ice time. During most of the 2024-25 campaign, the bulk of Wotherspoon’s five-on-five minutes came with reserve Andrew Peeke (178:36).

So far this season, working in tandem with the right-handed Karlsson — an assignment which often leads to common ice time with the spellbinding Crosby — Wotherspoon has already put up six points (one goal, five assists) in only 18 games and has clocked an average of 21:08 of ice time per contest, by far the top such figure of his career.

“Going out there with that top line and obviously (Karlsson), I’ve got to be a little bit better with the puck in the (offensive) zone,” Wotherspoon said. “I think I had a little bit of a rough start, but I’m getting better and growing more. In the (offensive) zone, those guys can make plays. So, I’ve just got to get them the puck and move around a little bit more.”

Improved offensive metrics are nice but make no mistake, the 28-year-old Wotherspoon is here for what he offers as a defensive entity.

“(Karlsson) sees the game way differently than I’m going to see it,” Wotherspoon said. “But for the most part, it’s a little good yin-yang, I think. I want him to get out there and be offensive, and I’m on the defensive side.”

A seven-time All-Star, Karlsson seems to enjoy the “opposites attract” nature of the pairing.

“Seems like a pretty easygoing guy, a pretty easygoing player,” Karlsson said. “Well-rounded and can do a little bit of everything out there. Obviously, the more repetitions and the more games we get together, hopefully, we can build some (chemistry) together.”

Penguins management was intrigued by the alchemy Wotherspoon potentially offered this past offseason.

During his season-ending press conference in April, Penguins president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas was highly critical of the left side of the team’s blue line and labeled it as a “problem.”

Less than three months later, Dubas began to recraft the port side of the backend by signing Wotherspoon on July 1. He agreed to a two-year contract with a frugal salary cap hit of $1 million.

The return on investment has been strong thus far for the Penguins. As for Wotherspoon, he just wanted to go somewhere where he was valued.

“They emphasized to me that it was going to be a competitive camp, which was really (attractive) to me,” Wotherspoon said. “I really wanted to compete and show what I could do. I wasn’t expecting to start with (Karlsson), for sure. To be completely honest, I had a tough start, and I thought I’d start a little bit lower (in the depth chart). They showed quite a bit of interest in me in the offseason.

“They see what I can do in different roles and have full support, which I haven’t had a lot in my career. Having someone believing in you or having the coaches believe in me is a big thing for my confidence.”