At some point, injured forwards Teddy Blueger, Kasperi Kapanen and Evgeni Malkin will be back in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ lineup.
And, barring further maladies, that will push Jared McCann, Evan Rodrigues or Jason Zucker down the depth chart.
Furthermore, with the NHL’s trade deadline approaching on April 12, any possible additions could provide the Penguins an even larger surplus of forwards.
All of those factors could lead to healthy scratches or assignments to the taxi squad (or even Wilkes-Barre/Scranton) for the likes of Anthony Angello, Frederick Gaudreau or Mark Jankowski.
But in recent weeks, the Penguins’ reserve forwards have offered sturdy cases to remain on in the lineup and on the NHL roster. Whether it be through scoring goals, taking faceoffs or simply throwing a body check, this group of players has offered something for management to consider as it makes decisions in the days ahead.
“It’s encouraging,” coach Mike Sullivan said via video conference. “It’s exciting from our standpoint to know that we’ve got guys that can contribute that way. I think these guys have done a great job when they’ve been in the lineup in the roles that we’ve cast them in. It’s hard to win consistently when you don’t get contributions throughout your lineup. And we’ve been getting that from a number of different guys.”
Here is a player-by-player look (in alphabetical order) of what the Penguins’ reserve forwards have to offer:
Anthony Angello — 19 games, four points (two goals, two assists)
Why: At 6-foot-5, 210 pounds, Angello is the biggest player currently on the Penguins’ NHL roster. He has shown a willingness to use his size in simple battles for position near the net or on the boards, and he also has displayed signs of scoring ability.
Why not: Even at his size, Angello isn’t particularly vicious or aggressive the way Islanders forth-liner Matt Martin is. And while he skates well for a man of his size, finding someone faster than Angello isn’t all that difficult.
Frederick Gaudreau — Nine games, four points (one goal, three assists)
Why: In a short period of time, Gaudreau has filled a pretty immediate need as a penalty-killing center given Blueger’s absence. Additionally, he has all but surpassed Jankowski on the depth chart both on the penalty kill and in five-on-five situations. An intelligent player, he has shown a willingness to be creative with the puck, as well. And as a right-hander, he can step in on faceoffs.
Why not: Gaudreau largely has maximized his opportunity to this point with the benefit of adrenaline after not playing at the NHL level for over a year. It’s fair to wonder how he’ll sustain his level of play through a particularly grueling schedule format — thanks to the pandemic — if he has indeed become one of the Penguins’ top 12 forwards.
Mark Jankowski — 34 games, seven points (three goals, four assists)
Why: Frankly, there haven’t been many reasons why in what has been a pretty disappointing season for Jankowski. That said, he boosted his profile during Saturday’s 7-5 road loss to the Boston Bruins with a goal and an assist.
Why not: Jankowski has been one of the team’s biggest disappointments this season, even if the expectations were modest to begin with. After getting three points (one goal, two assists) in his first two games of the season, he went 21 games without a point. Without the puck, he’s adequate defensively but has slipped behind Gaudreau on the depth chart on the penalty kill. Additionally, he’s in the red on faceoffs having won only 45.3 % of his draws this season. Finally, he is not particularly physical despite being 6-foot-4 and 212 pounds.
Sam Lafferty — 27 games, five points (no goals, five assists)
Why: With the exception of Brandon Tanev, none of the Penguins’ forwards are more willing to throw a hit than Lafferty. His blend of physicality and hustle has become his leading characteristic. And as a right-hander capable of taking faceoffs, he has value on a team full of lefty centers.
Why not: A lack of scoring touch. Lafferty has the third-most games among forwards this season who have yet to score a goal. Additionally, he has taken more than his fair share of penalties, particularly in the offensive zone. That’s usually a big minus for fourth-liners.
Colton Sceviour — 28 games, four points (two goals, two assists)
Why: A right-hander who can step in on draws, the 31-year-old Sceviour is one of the team’s more versatile players as he has a history of playing all three forward positions. And he has been one of the team’s more regular penalty killers, logging 1 minute, 22 seconds of short-handed ice time per contest.
Why not: With the return of Tanev to the lineup, Sceviour has been a healthy scratch the past two games. Earlier this season, he was waived and cleared as no other team seemed interesting in taking on his salary cap hit of $1.2 million. As far as his activities on the ice go, he hasn’t offered much. After getting goals in two of his first four games this season, Sceviour has gone 24 straight without a score.
Notes: In transactions geared towards the day-to-day management of the salary cap, the Penguins assigned Angello and Gaudreau to the taxi squad while forward Justin Almeida and defenseman Will Reilly were moved from the taxi squad to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Seth Rorabaugh is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Seth by email at srorabaugh@triblive.com or via Twitter .
"What" - Google News
April 05, 2021 at 04:31AM
https://ift.tt/3dESJ4K
What are the Penguins' options for the 4th line? - TribLIVE
"What" - Google News
https://ift.tt/3aVokM1
https://ift.tt/2Wij67R
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "What are the Penguins' options for the 4th line? - TribLIVE"
Post a Comment