The Penguins’ opening-night picture is starting to come into focus after the free-agent rush, but it still looks lopsided in a few key places.
There are some familiar names gone from the projected lineup, and the replacements don’t exactly restore balance. Parker Wotherspoon, Ryan Shea, Noel Acciari, Anthony Mantha, and Stuart Skinner are the main departures, while Trevor van Riemsdyk, Declan Carlile, Andrei Kuzmenko, Nick Robertson, and Kaedan Korczak are the arrivals.
On paper, that’s a different group. In practice, it still leaves Kyle Dubas trying to make the pieces fit.
That fit gets awkward fast on defense. The Penguins have too many right-handed defensemen, not enough lefties, and a pileup of bottom-six forwards that now includes a cluster of prospects. There’s also David Gustafsson, a big Winnipeg forward who came in on a two-way deal, and Atley Calvert, who moved from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to an NHL contract.
The roster math gets even messier because Dubas still appears to be chasing more. He has been open about wanting to add an impact player and more young talent, which means the current projection could shift again with one phone call.
For now, though, only Robertson and Carlile really fit the younger-addition mold. Kuzmenko is 30, and van Riemsdyk is 35.
That age mix matters, but so does the congestion. Rutger McGroarty was penciled in during the projection process and still couldn’t find a clean landing spot.
He and Ville Koivunen look like they’ll have to fight Robertson for ice time, and even then there’s no guarantee. Justin Brazeau and Elmer Soderblom are also left out of the lineup, and both could push Robertson for a third-line role.
That’s how crowded the winger picture has become.
If you’re counting, the Penguins are sitting at 16 forwards in this projection, though McGroarty is waivers exempt while K
The defense has its own traffic jam, and Harrison Brunicke is another player caught in it despite a strong AHL playoff run with WBS. The imbalance on the blue line is making it hard for him to break through.
There’s also the Evgeni Malkin wrinkle. The Penguins and Malkin discussed what could be read as a reduced role this season, and if the team uses a load-management approach with him, that would create more openings here and there.
Here’s how the lineup projection looks right now:
Rickard Rakell-Sidney Crosby-Bryan Rust
Egor Chinakhov-Tommy Novak-Evgeni Malkin
Andrei Kuzmenko-Ben Kindel-Nick Robertson
Connor Dewar-Blake Lizotte-Hendrix Lapierre
Extras: Soderblom, Brazeau.
Defense
Trevor van Riemsdyk - Erik Karlsson
Sam Girard-Kris Letang
Declan Carlile- Kaedan Korczak
Extra: Graves.
The hard-luck list is a long one: Pickering, McGoarty, Koivunen, Avery Hayes, and possibly Brazeau.
Kuzmenko is the signing that stands out most in the bigger picture. He put up 25 points (13-12-15) in 52 games last season, which doesn’t scream automatic lineup lock over McGroarty, Soderblom, or Brazeau. But the $5 million contract changes the conversation.
The left side of the defense remains the other major issue. Van Riemsdyk makes sense as a third-pair right-side option, but asking him to work on the left could be a problem. Unless the Penguins are planning to move Kris Letang or Erik Karlsson, the roster stays unbalanced and some younger players stay blocked from the kind of runway they need.
Stay tuned for 3.0.
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