Penguins A to Z: Defenseman P.O Joseph finally arrived
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With the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 2022-23 season coming to an end without any postseason action, the Tribune-Review will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 49 individuals signed to an NHL contract — including those whose deals do not begin until next season — with the organization, from mid-level prospect Corey Andonovski to top-six winger Jason Zucker.
This series will publish every weekday leading into the NHL Draft on June 28 and 29.
(Note: All contract information courtesy of Cap Friendly.)
P.O Joseph
Position: Defenseman
Shoots: Left
Age: 23
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 185 pounds
2022-23 NHL statistics: 75 games, 21 points (five goals, 16 assists)
Contract: In the first year of a two-year contract with a salary cap hit of $825,000. Pending restricted free agent in the 2024 offseason.
(Note: Joseph will be eligible for arbitration at the conclusion of his contract.)
Acquired: Trade, June 29, 2019
Last season: In October of 2021, Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin preached patience.
Not of himself but for P.O Joseph.
In the mid-2010s, it took Dumoulin roughly three seasons to develop at the American Hockey League level before he was ready to graduate to the NHL. And he thought the same timeframe could be applied to Joseph.
That’s how things essentially played out this past season as Joseph opened and completed the 2022-23 campaign at the NHL level.
Granted, salary cap concerns and the fact that Joseph was no longer ineligible to waivers for any transactions involving a minor league affiliate played the primary role in him starting the season on the NHL roster, but he fit into the lineup and aptly performed on the third pairing, at least in the first handful of months.
Mainly paired with veteran right-hander Jan Rutta, Joseph, a rookie, offered a mostly safe, reliable presence in his first 11 games, averaging 14:49 of ice time per contest before an undisclosed injury sidelined him for three games in mid-November.
After recovering, Joseph was in a lineup that was often pockmarked with injury and dressed for 47 consecutive games. The high point of that stretch came in a 6-3 road win against the Anaheim Ducks when he collected two goals (including the game-winning goal) and an assist.
But beginning in February and going into March, some signs of fatigue began to show as Joseph started to make mistakes that often resulted in pucks going into the Penguins’ net.
After veteran left-handed defenseman Dmitry Kulikov was acquired at the trade deadline on March 3, Joseph wound up being a healthy scratch for three games before Kulikov suffered a suspected left foot injury, prompting a return for Joseph into the lineup.
Playing in the Penguins’ final 16 games of the season, Joseph joined Canada for the International Ice Hockey Federation’s World Championship tournament.
The future: Given his contractual status and potential, Joseph appears a safe bet to remain a part of the franchise’s future.
Joseph, who will turn 24 on July 1, is scheduled to become a restricted free agent in 2024 and he is only scratching the surface of his talents.
And while he did appear to wear down in the final months of his first full NHL season, he’s not the first Penguins rookie defenseman to have that happen. Kris Letang (2007-08) and Olli Maatta (2013-14) each dealt with similar issues.
With Dumoulin, a pending unrestricted free agent, a candidate to move on this upcoming offseason, Joseph would appear to be in line to take on a more prominent role on the left side of the Penguins’ blue line starting next season.
After all, he finally arrived this past season.