What happened: Pittsburgh has reshaped its roster this offseason through trades and free-agent additions, pushing injury-affected depth players toward the fringe of the lineup. Jones broke an ankle in October, suffered a separate shoulder injury while rehabbing in the AHL in January, then served a 20-game performance-enhancing-drug suspension before shoulder surgery in April. Hallander opened last season on the same line as Sidney Crosby before a leg injury in November caused a blood clot that ended his season early.

Why it matters: Pittsburgh's left-defense depth remains thin enough that a healthy Jones could still find a path back, though his recovery timeline clouds any training-camp bid. Graves enters a fourth season with the Penguins after 2025-26 was his worst stretch since arriving from New Jersey, with no coaching change signaling a turnaround. The scramble for bottom-of-the-roster spots comes as other clubs are already probing Pittsburgh's forward depth this offseason.

What to watch: Jones's recovery from April shoulder surgery could keep him out of training camp entirely. Hallander's health status heading into 2026-27 camp remains unclear.