Pittsburgh Penguins: Grading the Penguins Through Seven Games

Defense:

Olli Maatta: (A) The highest grade on this list goes to Olli Maatta and he’s definitely earned it. The highest scoring defenseman on the team so far, Maatta has started the year with 7 points in 7 games, averaging a little more than 17 minutes of ice time per game. More importantly, it appears that through the first stretch of this season, Maatta has regained his confidence, often pinching to keep the puck in and throwing it on net more than it seems like he’s down in the past.

Kris Letang: (B-) Second to only Maatta with points by a defenseman for the Penguins this season, Kris Letang has shown flashes of the smooth-skating, skilled offensive defenseman that Penguins fans have come to know. At the same time, there is still some rust that Letang will have to shake off as the season continues.

Matt Hunwick: (F) Playing almost 20 minutes on average over six games, Hunwick has one point and is a minus-2. Hunwick has the worst CF% for defenseman on the team and frankly that still doesn’t accurately encapsulate just how not good Hunwick has been to start the season. The whole defense hasn’t been cohesive and has had trouble getting the puck out of their end smoothly, but Hunwick has by all means stood out as the most incapable so far.