The Pittsburgh Penguins first-round lo s to the Rangers still stings for many people and likely Scott Oberg Jersey will until they finally hit the ice for the first regular season game and officially put it in the rearview mirror. They have made a litany of moves since that game to try and improve the roster and push them closer to contending for Lord Stanleys Cup.Penguins general manager Ron Hextall has wanted to see his team play with more of an edge since he took over. They have tried in certain situations, but they havent had any players with that mentality or size on the roster.Hextall went out and acquired a few of those pieces this off-season.Now, the Penguins have an abundance of NHL defensemen, limited roster spots to keep them all, and even le s in the way of cap space. They had the highest salary figure devoted to defensemen in the entire NHL last season. They will be close to the top, if not number one again, in 2022-23.Kris Letang, Brian Dumoulin, Jeff Petry, and Marcus Petter son have their spots fairly locked up. That leaves five other defensemen with the opportunity to snatch one of the final two spots in the top-six and likely another spot as the seventh defenseman.Recently acquired college free-agent defenseman and former fourth-round pick by the Philadelphia Flyers, Jack St. Ivany, will not be included in this list.Jan RuttaHt: 63, Wt: 204 lbs., Age: 32, Exp: 6 yearsWhen Penguins fans ask for toughne s from their players, too many get caught up in the fact that they dont throw hits. But the Penguins need toughne s in the way of their defenseman not being moved by their opponent so easily. The Penguins added just that when they signed Jan Rutta to a multi-year deal.Rutta is a big body that will plant himself in front of the net on the penalty kill. He will stand his ground better than John Marino and Marcus Petter son were able to last season. He had 90:09 of penalty kill time last season and blocked 11 shots on the penalty kill.The 32-year Trevor Story Jersey -old had the second best offensive season of his career in 2021-22 with three goals and 18 points. He played 76 games for a Lightning team that made the Cup Finals for a third consecutive year, with Rutta playing an integral role on all three of those teams.Fresh off signing a three-year contract, along with the need for his type of player, Rutta likely has a leg up on one of the two open spots on the Penguins blue line.Mark FriedmanHt: 511, Wt: 185 lbs., Age: 26, Exp: 4 yearsHextall likes Friedman and rewarded him with a two-year extension in the offseason. Friedman played for Hextall in Philadelphia and was one of the first players Hextall brought in when he took over. Friedman is a feisty defenseman that gets under the skin of the opposing team and seems very well-liked amongst his teammates. He was given the most extended look of his career last season and did well for himself.He only played 26 games last season but seems like a guy who wont mi s much of a beat as a plug-and-play defenseman.Friedmans best way onto this team will be as the seventh defenseman, a competition in which he will have to win againstChad RuhwedelHt: 511, Wt: 191 lbs., Age: 32, Exp: 10 yearsIf there is anyone who has overcome the odds and carved out a magnificent career for themselves, it Nolan Arenado Jersey is Chad Ruhwedel.Ruhwedel, an undrafted free agent, will never be the biggest or most-talented defenseman in any locker room. However, he has been one of the steadier presences in the lineup since he arrived in Pittsburgh. Did you know he was part of Stanley Cup teams? Yeah, it still shocks me every time I hear that.Ruhwedel wont be a guy that the Penguins trade and recover enough value to compensate for his lo s, so he wont likely be moved. He is the favorite to win the seventh job and be the first guy to fill in when an injury happens. Hes the definition of reliable.Ty SmithHt: 511, Wt: 180 lbs., Age: 22, Exp: 2 yearsThe Penguins sent John Marino packing to the New Jersey Devils after two straight seasons of his play regre sing following his stellar rookie season. In return, they acquired Smith, a 22-year-old offensive-minded defenseman, much like Marino. The hope is that the Penguins not only got a younger player but a better player in the deal.Smith made the all-rookie team and finished seventh in the Calder voting in 2020-21. He followed that up with a slightly le s impre sive second season but still an effective one for a Jon Gray Jersey Devils team that feels very close to contending.He averaged 17:30 of ice time per game last season and played some time on the Devils power play. With Mike Matheson gone, some extra power play time could open up. Petry seems likely to a sume those duties, but underperformance or injury could open the door for Smith.Smiths only problem heading into the 2022-23 season is that he does not have to pa s through waivers if he gets a signed to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. That means hell probably end up beginning the season in WBS due to the circumstances.Pierre-Olivier JosephHt: 62, Wt: 185 lbs., Age: 23, Exp: 2 yearsSmiths lo s will be Josephs gain as Joseph should finally get his first real chance at extended playing time in the NHL to open the year.Joseph has been plugging away in WBS the last few seasons after being brought over in Antonio Senzatela Jersey the Phil Ke sel trade. His play hasnt been enough to supplant any defenseman in front of him, so he will have to prove his worth this season.Joseph is a former first-round selection of the Arizona Coyotes and has the pedigree to be a solid NHL defenseman. He has the speed and mobility to be an effective NHL defenseman, but he needs to be better in his own zone and get stronger both on and away from the puck. A suming hes worked on that in the AHL, Joseph could be an added weapon of youth that the Penguins didnt know they needed.This likely means the top six defensemen to start the season, barring injuries, will be Letang, Dumoulin, Petry, Petter son, Rutta, and Joseph, which leaves Friedman and Ruhwedel to battle for the seventh spot. If that is the case, Smith heads to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to continue to improve on his own game.Make sure you for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more!Follow Inside the Penguins on Twitter: