The Pittsburgh Penguins made some changes to their defense during the offseason, specifically on the left side. They let Matt Grzelcyk and P.O. Joseph go after their one-year contracts expired on July 1 and brought in Parker Wotherspoon on a two-year contract, Caleb Jones on a two-year contract, and Alexander Alexeyev on a one-year contract.
Penguins general manager and president Kyle Dubas identified the left side of the defense as a primary concern heading into the offseason, and he began to address it, at least in part, with these signings. Wotherspoon will definitely play after having a solid season with the Boston Bruins last year, while Jones and Alexeyev will compete for spots on the left side with Ryan Graves, Ryan Shea, Owen Pickering, etc. Fans have to remember that there won't be a quick fix with the blue line, and it'll likely take multiple offseasons for Dubas to assemble the defensive group he wants.
As for Alexeyev, he comes over from the Washington Capitals after spending the last several years with the organization. He was the 31st overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft and spent time in both the AHL and NHL before the Capitals moved on from him after the season.
He played in eight NHL regular-season games last season, compiling no goals or points, but did have some decent underlying numbers. He played a little over 123 minutes at 5v5, and when he was on the ice, the Capitals had 58% of the expected goals, 54.5% of the scoring chances, and 55.5% of the high-danger chances. Nobody knows if those numbers would hold over a full season, but they're at least intriguing.
Alexeyev also played in all 10 of the Capitals' playoff games this past season since their blue line was a bit banged up, and he produced some mixed results. His expected goals percentage was 54% and his high-danger chance percentage was at 58%, while his scoring chance percentage was at 47.8%.
In 2023-24, he played in 39 games for the Caps, logging just over 509 minutes of 5v5 ice-time. His expected goal percentage was 49.7%, while his scoring chance percentage and high-danger percentage were at 51.2% and 51.5% respectively. The latter two numbers aren't bad, but certainly not as good as this year's numbers in his eight-game regular-season sample.
He has played in 80 NHL games, scoring one goal and accumulating eight points, and has also appeared in 145 AHL games, tallying six goals and 52 points. He made his debut with the AHL's Hershey Bears during the 2019-20 season and compiled three goals and 21 points in 58 games.
Alexeyev has size (6'4), which Dubas and Co. have been wanting to add to their lineup for this year. The Penguins got pushed around in front of their net quite a lot last season and want that to change for the 2025-26 season. Alexeyev can skate fairly well for someone who is 6'4 and 229 pounds, but could stand to be more physical along the boards. He also has offensive capabilities, but needs to utilize them more effectively.
He hasn't been given a lot of runway to show what he can do at the NHL level, but that could change, especially if he can beat out the competition for a full-time spot. He's also heading into a contract year and will be a restricted free agent next year, so he'll want to show out as much as he can.
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If he can't, it's no scratch off the Penguins' backs since they only signed him for one year, and he is set to make only $775,000 at the NHL level. He'd also provide solid depth at the AHL level if he doesn't make the NHL team, as Dubas and his staff aim to continue building the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for the future.
However, with training camp coming towards the end of the month, Alexeyev's main focus will be making the squad and helping the Penguins improve. This is a Penguins team that wants to be a lot better in their own zone this year, having conceded too many scoring chances and goals last season. It was one of several reasons why they missed the playoffs for a third-straight year.
(Data via Natural Stat Trick).
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