The Penguins signed their top defensive prospect, Pierre-Olivier Joseph, to a two-year, one-way contract on Tuesday. The average annual value is $825,000.
Of course, the significant part is the one-way clause. It sounds like the team fully intends to give Joseph a shot at full-time duty. With a glut of established (and well-paid) left-handed shots in front of him, it would seem GM Ron Hextall is primed to deal Brian Dumoulin, Mike Matheson or Marcus Pettersson. Of the three, I’d probably rule out Matheson as trade bait.
It seems odd to still refer to Joseph, now 23, as a prospect. A former first-round pick of Arizona, he’s spent the vast majority of his pro career, 139 games to be exact, honing his skills (and packing on weight) at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He enjoyed his best season in 2021-22, pacing the Baby Pens’ defensemen with 10 goals and tallying a solid 33 points in 61 games.
With the Pens? He’s been a bit of a mixed bag. Pressed into service in January 2021 due to a Biblical plague of injuries to the black-and-gold defense, Joseph performed brilliantly out of the chute, culminating in a three-assist (plus-three) performance in a 5-4 overtime victory over the Rangers on January 30. A game in which he logged an eye-popping 25:58 of ice time and set up Pens captain Sidney Crosby for the OT winner.
I marveled at the time that POJ was our best defenseman. However, soon after he began to settle back to earth. His ice time waned along with his effectiveness. Nor did he impress during a wobbly four-game cameo this past season.
For the record, Joseph is a good skater who sees the ice well and handles the puck with skill. Although not a banger, he’s able to deliver a solid hit when he puts his mind to it. Two nights before the Rangers game he crushed then-Bruin Anders Bjork with a thunderous body check, arguably the hardest hit delivered by a Penguin all season.
It’s important to note Joseph will need to pass through waivers in order to be sent to WBS. So it’s definitely a case of establishing himself with the big boys…or bust.
Svejkovsky Shines
Lukas Svejkovsky is making an impression at the Pens’ prospect camp. A fourth-round pick in 2020, the feisty right wing piled up 35 goals and 76 points in 57 games last season while splitting time between Medicine Hat and Seattle of the Western Hockey League. He excelled in the postseason as well, popping 11 goals and piling up 28 points in 23 playoff games for the Thunderbirds.
Svejkovsky’s an elusive skater with vision and a decent shot. A surprising combative streak, too, given his modest 5’9″ 170-pound frame.
Although a likely candidate to land in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton? Perhaps a player to watch in the coming season.
Hey Rick,
At the risk of being pessimistic, signing a player to a 2 Year One-Way Deal usually has been the kiss of death for that player in Pgh over the last several years. The signing may not look bad for the Pens, particularly on paper, but historically it doesn’t bode well for POJ. It usually is a sign of saying sink or swim with sink being the expected outcome.
Hey Rick,
This was a good signing by Hextall because it forces the Pen’s brain trust to make space on the roster for Olivier-Joseph to play. I only wish he was 40 pounds heavier but that is why it took him longer to reach the NHL. He should make a fine 6th D man especially if we can find him a big,mobile defense partner who can look after the physical play in front of the net.
Best of all Rick is, the price is right.
Cheers
Jim