Best Penguins By Jersey Number: #65

The Pittsburgh Penguins’ organizational history has a plethora of great players, and we’ve decided to go through the best Penguins’ players to wear each jersey number. Today, we continue the list by naming the best #65 in Penguins’ history.

There have only been three players to wear #65 for the Penguins, and they have all been defensemen within the last 15 years. Ben Lovejoy and Ron Hainsey were two of them.

But, the best #65 in Penguins’ history is generational defenseman Erik Karlsson.

Karlsson, who was drafted 15th overall by the Ottawa Senators in 2008, is a generational defensemen who spent years in Ottawa and San Jose before coming to Pittsburgh. On August 6, 2023, Penguins GM and POHO Kyle Dubas made the biggest (quite literally, the largest) trade in franchise history to acquire Karlsson from the Sharks after the defenseman’s historic 101-point season in 2022-23.

The three-way trade involved 13 players:

Although Karlsson’s tenure in Pittsburgh up to this point has been, to most, a bit of a mixed bag, there’s no denying the gravity of adding someone like Karlsson to the roster. A dynamic offensive defenseman and an elite skater, he led Penguins’ defensemen in scoring during the 2023-24 season, registering 11 goals and 56 points in 82 games, including four game-winning goals and two overtime goals.

His biggest goal of the season came against the Detroit Red Wings in April. Not known for his defensive work, Karlsson committed two turnovers during regulation that led to two Detroit goals that tied the game and forced overtime.

He redeemed himself by scoring the overtime goal and helping Sidney Crosby earn his 1,000th career assist, and the goal briefly put the Penguins back into a playoff position:

To begin the 2024-25 season, Karlsson has registered two goals and 11 points in 20 games for the Penguins. Over the course of his NHL career, he has 191 goals and 828 points in 1,022 games.