2023-24 Season In Review: Pierre-Olivier Joseph

Checking in with how defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph performed during the 2023-24 NHL season.

Vitals

Player: Pierre-Olivier Joseph
Born: July 1, 1999 (Age 24 season)
Height: 6’ 2”
Weight: 185 pounds
Hometown: Laval, Quebec, Canada
Shoots: Left
Draft: 2017 first round (23rd overall) by the Arizona Coyotes
2023-24 Statistics: 52 games played, 2 goals, 9 assists = 11 points
Contract Status: Joseph is eligible for restricted free agency this offseason after completing a two-year, $1.65 million contract.

Monthly Splits

via Yahoo!

Story of the Season

For the better part of the 2023-24 season it seemed as if Joseph had taken a pretty big step backwards. He went from being a regular in the lineup in 2022-23 to a healthy scratch on most nights and getting a very limited role when he did get a jersey. It was not until March and April, when Ryan Graves was sidelined with a concussion, that he started to get more consistent playing time and started to play his best hockey. He finished the season strong with eight points in his final 25 games.

Regular season 5v5 advanced stats

Data via Natural Stat Trick. Ranking is out of nine defensemen on the team who qualified by playing a minimum of 150 minutes.

Corsi For%: 48.7% (6th)
Goals For%: 47.1% (6th)
xGF%: 47.4% (8th)
Scoring Chance %: 47.9% (8th)
High Danger Scoring Chance%: 48.4% (8th)
5v5 on-ice shooting%: 9.35% (4th)
On-ice save%: .904% (7th)
Goals/60: 0.16 (5th)
Assist/60: 0.73 (4th)
Points/60: 0.90 (4th)

This is where Joseph’s performance really seemed to take a big step backwards. He had some of the best advanced stats and underlying metrics on the team a year ago and always seemed to be on the ice for more positive events than negative. The opposite turned out to be true this season overall as the Penguins were significantly outshot, outchanced and outscored when he was on the ice during 5-on-5 play.

Highlights

Questions to ponder

Really it comes down to what exactly is his future with the Penguins, and what sort of upside does he still have? He has certainly done enough to be tendered a qualifying offer as a restricted free agent, but he really has not done enough to warrant a serious long-term contract extension. Does the coaching staff fully trust him? Does a new front office see more in him? Will he ever be anything more than just a third-pairing defenseman and occasional healthy scratch?

Ideal 2024-25

The ideal solution for Joseph in 2024-25 is that he comes back with a new deal, gets a steady role and plays like he did over the final two months of the 2023-24 season. The Penguins do not need him to be a top-pairing player, but if he can settle into a 4-5-6 role that can be consistently counted on that would be a pretty big development at his expected salary. The key is finding that consistency and regaining the trust of the coaching staff.

Bottom line

Overall Joseph’s progress with the Penguins has been mildly underwhelming. He has shown flashes of being a productive, NHL defenseman, and he certainly has the talent and skill to be one offensively. But he sometimes gets lost in his own zone and has a tendency to get outmuscled along the boards and in front of the net. He is going to be at an age this season (25) where it is really going to be time for him to take a big step forward. If he does not, it will be time to wonder if it will ever happen for him.