Joseph working to prove to himself, coaches that 'I deserve to be here'

Mike Sullivan said after last Wednesday's game in Detroit that the Penguins "expect more" from their third defense pairing.

The Penguins had just lost 6-3 to the Red Wings, and the third defense pairing of P.O Joseph and Chad Ruhwedel was on the ice for a pair of goals together, and Joseph was on the ice for a third goal against.

“I don't think it was their best," Sullivan said of his third pairing's performance. "I thought they allowed some people to get behind them a couple of times."

Joseph was a healthy scratch in favor of Ryan Shea three nights later in St. Louis, then Ruhwedel joined him as a scratch in favor of John Ludvig on Tuesday against the Stars at PPG Paints Arena.

It was a disappointing turn of events for Joseph especially, who solidified himself as a regular NHL defenseman last season and appeared in 75 games with the Penguins. Sullivan said last week in St. Louis, though, that he had a conversation with Joseph about the decision and he understood where the coaching staff was coming from,

"We've got a competitive group," Sullivan said. "Performance matters. It's our challenge together to help P.O to capture his very best game, he's a really good player for us. And he'll continue to be a good player for us. He understands, and he's going to control what he can."

Joseph, 24, has taken the last week in stride. He's regularly one of the last (if not the last) players on the ice after a morning skate or a practice, and he's still his usual happy, positive self, keeping his teammates smiling at the rink.

I sat down with Joseph after the Penguins' practice at PPG Paints Arena on Wednesday, and he told me about how he's seen this last week on the sidelines as something that's been a positive for him.

"It's been good," he said. "I feel like I've just been working on a lot of things that maybe I didn't do well in the start. So it's good sometimes to just have a little reset and watch yourself from a different perspective. And of course, I still want to be around these guys and bring my positivity and make sure those guys still have fun on the ice. I think it's a lot of just sitting back and looking at yourself from a different view and just trying to get back into it."

It was Joseph's play on both sides of the puck that he admitted needed to be better in his first four games of the season. His pairing had that tough showing in their own end in Detroit, but Joseph had been held off the scoresheet in his first four games, too. That's after contributing a fair bit in his role last season, with five goals and 16 assists in those 75 games.

"I don't think I defended really well," Joseph said of his start to the season. "You know, I think that I let Chad go a little bit sometimes. That's something I don't like to do, just to give up on my partner like that. But I think I didn't bring enough offense as well. You know, I was kind of nervous at times with the puck, where I had more time than I'd think."

Sullivan expects more from Joseph and the third pairing, and Joseph expects much more from himself, too.

"It's just things that I didn't do this year that I know I'm capable of doing, since last year, I was doing it," Joseph said. "It's just little things in my game that just made my game a little bit harder on myself and on my teammates."

The Penguins carrying two extra defensemen on the roster -- fellow left-handed defensemen, at that -- has created healthy competition for Joseph, especially after Shea had a strong first two games defensively since getting into the lineup. Ludvig impressed in his abbreviated debut on Tuesday, especially in the physical element that he was able to bring, but when he suffered a concussion in the second period, it created an opening once again on the third paring.

Those two push Joseph to be the best version of himself in order to get into the lineup ... but he still likes seeing them do well themselves, too.

"I just go with the passion that I have for the game, and sometimes that competitiveness is good for you," Joseph said. "I just want the best for these guys. I was happy for them both to play their first game. And I remember my first game, so I was really able to put myself in their shoes. I really just want the team to win and just want to try to be there. And if they need me, I'll just try to bring back my game that I had last year."

Joseph's positivity is unwavering, genuine, and entirely unsurprising. He's had it through any adversity he's had in his young professional career so far. It was evident back in his first professional season back in 2019-20, when a bout of mononucleosis sidelined him for several weeks and caused him to drop some of the weight that he had worked so hard to put on the summer before. He told me at the time that his mantra was just to "keep your smiles." He had that same attitude over his first three seasons fighting for a spot in the NHL. He was nothing but positive at the start of the 2022-23 season, when there was a thought that the loss of his waiver-exempt status and the acquisition of Ty Smith might force Joseph to be traded, or perhaps even lost to waivers if he lost out to Smith in the training camp battle.

Now that Joseph is going through another period that would get a lot of other players down, I asked him where that positivity comes from.

"It's just the fact that I'm here," he said. "So many people want to be here and don't have the chance to be. I've just got to prove to myself again and to them that I deserve to be here, and I want to be here."

Joseph also sees it as his responsibility -- as the resident light in the locker room -- to be positive for his teammates, too.

"Especially right now when things are not going our way, we've just got to stick together and as much as possible," he said. 'And I feel like as a young guy with some energy, it's kind of my duty sometimes to do that. So I just embrace the fact that I'm here to put smiles on faces and enjoy the game, really."