With the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 2023-24 season coming to an end without any postseason action, TribLive will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 52 individuals signed to an NHL contract — including those whose deals do not begin until next season — with the organization, from fourth-line center Noel Acciari to reserve winger Radim Zohorna.
This series is scheduled to be published every weekday leading into the second day of the NHL Draft on June 29.
(Note: All contract information courtesy of Cap Friendly.)
Marcus Pettersson
Position: Defenseman
Shoots: Left
Age: 28
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 177 pounds
2023-24 NHL statistics: 82 games, 30 points (four goals, 26 assists), 22:40 of average ice time per contest
2023-24 IIHF World Championship statistics: 10 games, five points (three goals, two assists)
Contract: In the fourth year of a five-year contract with a salary cap hit of $ 4,025,175. Pending unrestricted free agent in 2025
(Note: This contract contains a modified no-trade clause for the final two years which allows Pettersson to submit a list of eight teams he would not accept a trade to.)
Acquired: Trade, Dec. 3, 2018
This season: The late summer of 2019 was a big one for restricted free agents. Budding stars such as Winnipeg Jets forward Patrik Laine and Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner were looking to potentially hold out for lucrative long-term deals.
A little further down the trough was Marcus Pettersson. A promising but hardly spectacular defender, Pettersson was also a restricted free agent in early September as training camp approached and he signed a one-year deal to avoid missing any practices.
After joking the likes of Laine and Marner were “in a different conversation” than himself, Pettersson explained why he was willing to accept a fairly minimal contract.
“I feel like, as long as I’m here, I’m in the place I want to be,” Pettersson said. “In Pittsburgh. I’m glad to be here.”
Pettersson wound up signing a five-year contract extension in January of 2020 and just over four years later, all parties concerned appear to be happy with that union.
After going through some growing pains, Pettersson has developed into the team’s most reliable defensive blue liner as well as their best left-handed defenseman.
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Pettersson opened the 2023-24 campaign as seemingly the perfect countermeasure to newcomer Erik Karlsson, an offensively aggressive rearguard.
While Pettersson’s offensive figures were mundane (six assists in 29 games), over that span, that duo largely functioned at an adequate level and Pettersson even showed off some brave physicality in that station when he fought Washington Capitals heavyweight forward Tom Wilson — admittedly, not by choice — during a 4-0 road win on Oct. 13.
Meanwhile, the team’s oher prominent defensive pairing of Ryan Graves and Kris Letang failed to congeal at a satisfactory level. By Dec. 18, coaches mixed up the pairings and placed Pettersson with Letang.
Over the next two months, Pettersson’s dormant offensive game was activated as he posted 15 points (two goals, 13 assists) in 23 games while skating with Letang. Perhaps the highlight of his season came during that stretch when he scored an overtime goal in a 3-2 home win against the Montreal Canadiens on Jan. 27.
RAISE YOUR HAND TO VIRTUALLY HIGH-FIVE MARCUS PETTERSSON! ✋ pic.twitter.com/dCqYuuVmX9
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 28, 2024
In mid-February, Pettersson was reunited with Karlsson, and those two remained with one another for the final 30 games of 2023-24 and even beyond.
Throughout most of the International Ice Hockey Federation’s World Championship tournament, Pettersson and Karlsson were teamed together and helped Sweden win a bronze medal.
— EN Videos (@ENVideos19) June 10, 2024
The future: A lot of the oxygen for the Penguins’ upcoming offseason has been devoted to an expiring contract.
In 2025.
Franchise pillar Sidney Crosby is eligible to sign a contract extension July 1 as he enters the final year of his current deal.
It makes sense. It’s Sidney Crosby, after all.
And just like 2019, Pettersson is being overlooked as he enters a similar circumstance.
His game doesn’t have a lot of flair, but he has become a steady, consistent component of the Penguins, not only for his own play but the stability he offers as a partner to the likes of Karlsson and Letang.
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That would make it a safe assumption that Pettersson will receive a contract extension once business with Crosby is concluded, right?
Maybe not.
Pettersson’s status is a legitimate point of curiosity.
Given how Penguins president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas dealt away all-Star forward Jake Guentzel in March and cited a need to inject youth into the mix as validation for the maneuver, a similar decision with Pettersson would be consistent with that pursuit.
At the same time, Pettersson’s ability to complement star defensemen and his rise as one of the team’s top penalty killers — he led the Penguins with 2:40 of average short-handed ice time per game last season — has allowed him to become one of the team’s more valuable assets.
Once the Penguins formally enter the offseason July 1, Pettersson’s contractual status should not be forgotten.
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.