Cole collected his first assist Saturday but remains inconsistent as part of a No. 1 pairing with Kris Letang.

EDGE Analysis

Cole has gone from a fifth defenseman last season to part of a top duo and the results haven't been encouraging. He has one point in 14 games with a minus-9 rating. To his credit, Cole does lead Pittsburgh with 41 blocked shots. At some point he'll likely switch places on the depth chart with Olli Maatta -- once the team is convinced Maatta has regained his game.