When he spoke with the media ahead of training camp, Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford said they had invited Jordan Nolan on a professional tryout contract.
Nolan, a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Los Angeles Kings in 2012 and '14 and veteran of nearly 400 NHL games, had signed an AHL contract with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in early December.
"At any time, we can flip that to an NHL contract," Rutherford said. "We like him as a player. We'll see how camp goes. He brings a dimension to his game that's important for teams, and we want to see him play."
Nolan Battling to Earn NHL Contract
The two-time Stanley Cup champion with LA is hoping to show Penguins management what he can do
It's certainly more challenging than usual from an evaluation standpoint as today already marks the halfway point of training camp, which has been condensed down to 10 days and will feature no exhibition games.
But Nolan, who has been practicing with the taxi squad while taking part in the intra-squad scrimmages, is still grateful for the opportunity to be here. It's why he chose to sign with the Penguins in the first place after exploring his options. And no matter where he ends up, the Penguins are fortunate to have a player like him in the organization.
"Looking at the roster, I didn't think they had a kind of player like me," said the veteran forward, who measures 6-foot-3 and 219 pounds. "So it was kind of an easy decision. Coming to this organization, I hope I'm going to be with the big club and give them that element of that physical game that I can bring. And if not, then I'll be down with the minor league team providing that leadership for younger guys.
"So either way, I'm excited, but my main focus is to play with the big club and bring that big, strong physical presence that I think that I can bring to the team."
That fierce competitiveness has been the constant throughout a career that saw Nolan go from a young player on two championship squads to a veteran presence in the locker room.
Nolan, who was originally drafted in the seventh round (185th overall) by Los Angeles in 2009, was a couple weeks shy of his 23rd birthday when he lifted the Stanley Cup over his head for the first time.
"I think I was just kind of in the moment for those first couple years in LA, especially being a younger guy and with such big names on that roster," Nolan said. "So I just kind of played my role to the best of my ability and didn't really worry about anything else too much."
Though Nolan did try to soak up everything he could from those big names on the roster.
"We had a lot of great leaders around," Nolan said. "There were a lot of guys in that room that didn't wear letters or were captains or assistant captains, but still helped show me the way and showed me about work ethic and being prepared every day and having good practice habits. And management taught me a lot about that as well."
After spending the first seven seasons of his career with the Kings organization, Nolan played the 2017-18 campaign with Buffalo, his first real chance to apply what he had learned from a leadership perspective with the Sabres being a young and inexperienced team.
Nolan then split the 2018-19 season with St. Louis and their AHL affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage, and got the chance to experience another championship season as the Blues won their first Stanley Cup in franchise history that spring.
Blues management made Nolan the captain last season with San Antonio, a responsibility he took seriously (though he did joke it was different being "the old guy" on the team).
"I tried to show the younger guys how I prepare and just how to do the right thing," Nolan said. "It's a lot of fun, but you also have to kind of show them there's no off days and what it takes to be a good pro and what it takes to get to that next level, because that's what every player wants to do."
And that's what Nolan is hoping to do this season for himself with Pittsburgh, a team that his father Ted suited up for in the 1985-86 season, his final NHL campaign. After his playing career came to an end, Ted transitioned behind the bench, where he spent several stints in the NHL - including the 1994-95 season as an assistant coach with Hartford while Rutherford was general manager there.
"I believe my dad worked under Mr. Rutherford when he worked in Hartford, so there was that little connection there," Jordan said. "My parents just always told me he was a great man. And my dad played with Mario (Lemieux) too, so they kind of know what the organization brings and they were excited for me when I got the call. So I'm excited to join their family. He had nothing but great things to say about Pittsburgh."
