Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson has been the most bodychecked player in the NHL dating back to the beginning of the 2018-19 season (as per Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). The 28-year-old was acquired by the Penguins in December of 2018 and since that time he has become a staple in their top four, averaging over 19 minutes of ice time per game. Pettersson’s stable play has been a necessity for the Penguins as he’s been paired regularly with offensive-minded defensemen Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson.
Pettersson has been hit over 150 times more than any other player in the NHL dating back to 2018 but has remained relatively healthy during his time in Pittsburgh, playing in all 82 games last year. Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan believes that Pettersson’s courage and bravery are the reason for him topping the list, but Pettersson believes that the Pittsburgh statistics guy is generous with his hits counting.
Pettersson is a pending unrestricted free agent and should cash in next summer with a productive 2024-25 season. However, he hasn’t had a great start to the year and has been surprisingly careless with the puck, committing 22 turnovers in just 16 games. That number is shockingly high, given that he committed just 32 turnovers in 82 games last year.
Pettersson’s future in Pittsburgh is unclear at this point. In September it was reported that the Penguins would begin contract talks with Pettersson, but, with the team’s uneven start to the season, it’s fair to wonder if Pittsburgh will move him at the trade deadline. Pittsburgh is not far off from entering a rebuild, and if their competitive window is closed, the team may find more value in picks and prospects over an aging defenseman who takes more hits than any other player in the league.
As mentioned earlier, Pettersson has been consistently healthy during his NHL career, however, as he enters his 30s it is fair to wonder if the physical toll of being bodychecked that much will start to affect the amount he can play and the impact he can have.
Dude has courage AND bravery? That’s a rare combination. Maybe if he was fast AND speedy or intelligent AND smart or aware AND alert he could avoid some of those hits.
And no…I am not being facetious AND sarcastic.
Great stat…I’d like to see a more extensive list.
Not only fair to wonder, but it’s hard NOT to wonder. Football players don’t get hit as much, for crying out loud.