Every new member of this roster fills a role that fits into how the Penguins want to play, with guys listing their team identity as fast and assertive. And while the Penguins are skilled, they also want to be hard-working and tough to play against.
“Kind of an ‘always on’ type of game,” Letang said. “We’re not a type of team that necessarily wants to come up slow with the puck. We want to make sure the pace is really high during the game.”
“We try to play fast and smart,” Malkin echoed. “We watch lots of video and we understand we’re not happy from last year, and we want to start the season pretty well. We start at home, new guys, great experience in this locker room. I think we’ve had a great training camp. We’re ready to go against Chicago.”
Dubas knows that based on the fact Pittsburgh’s 16-year playoff streak ended last season, people outside of the room don’t have the same belief that’s inside of the room - which is to win each day and stack those days one on top of the other, which will lead to contending for a Stanley Cup.
“For me, it's been great to be a part of that group and try to help as best as I possibly can, learn from them and what's got them to hold that as their standard, and try to supplement and add to the group as best we possibly can across everything – roster, staff, systems – to try to help the team get its way back to winning the Stanley Cup again,” he said.
Here is the projected opening-night lineup for Tuesday versus the Blackhawks, with the puck dropping at 8 PM:
FORWARDS
Jake Guentzel-Sidney Crosby-Bryan Rust
Reilly Smith-Evgeni Malkin-Rickard Rakell
Drew O’Connor-Lars Eller-Jansen Harkins
Matt Nieto-Noel Acciari-Jeff Carter
DEFENSEMEN
Ryan Graves-Kris Letang
Marcus Pettersson-Erik Karlsson
P.O Joseph-Chad Ruhwedel
(Ryan Shea, John Ludvig)
GOALTENDERS
Tristan Jarry
Alex Nedeljkovic
A few notes on the roster:
- While there’s only a finite amount of players who can make the opening-night roster, the Penguins are expecting the guys who have already gone down to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to continue to push and keep the pressure on. “I think the players who are here know the level of competition that it was, and that’ll help us as a team throughout the year in continuing to foster that type of competition, and push everyone to be at their absolute best,” Dubas said.
- While Guentzel is officially listed as a game-time decision, it looks like he'll most likely be in, as the Penguins currently aren't carrying an extra forward. He’s been practicing with the team in a full capacity since Oct. 3 after undergoing ankle surgery in early August. “With the level of competitor that he is, it’s not a true surprise that he's at this point and trying to push his way to be ready to go for tomorrow. We'll see how it goes,” Dubas said this morning.
- This feels like it’s going to be a good year for O’Connor. The 25-year-old is entering his fourth season in the Penguins organization, and his comfortability is evident, saying he feels more established at this level. He stood out in the exhibition games, creating plenty of scoring chances and scoring three goals, as O’Connor has a better understanding of how he needs to play to set himself up for success. He also seems more confident and outgoing around the locker room. Dubas said they were looking forward to seeing which young guys stepped up, and O’Connor certainly did so this training camp. “I think he’s ready to take the next step,” Sullivan said. “That certainly is our hope.”
- The bottom six has truly gotten a complete overhaul, as only a couple of familiar faces remain from last year, with O’Connor and Carter. Dubas filled it with players who are the right fit for what the Penguins believe in. “It'll be our job to support (the top six) with secondary scoring and being very hard to play against,” Lars Eller said.
Dubas also tried to build out the group deep enough so that they don’t have to rely on every single person to be firing on all cylinders at all times. There are a number of solid players who performed well at training camp that got re-assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for now, with Dubas specifically mentioning Alex Nylander, Vinnie Hinostroza, Andreas Johnsson, Sam Poulin, and Valtteri Puustinen. “I'm happy with (the bottom six) now, but I'm also very happy with the depth that's there and what's available,” Dubas said.
And while Radim Zohorna was also among the group that got sent down, Sullivan called that part of the game’s business aspect and having flexibility in the roster. The Penguins were pleased with his training camp, and feel like he played extremely well. “We'll see where it goes, but it doesn't for one minute change or diminish what we think of Z,” Sullivan said.
- As for the top six – 10/10, no notes. It’s absolutely loaded.
- A reminder that a big reason the Penguins targeted Erik Karlsson was because they wanted to improve their ability to move the puck from their own zone, and he’s one of the NHL’s elite players in that regard.
- There was essentially one spot open on the third pairing, with P.O Joseph taking the other after coming into camp with a full season of NHL experience. Sullivan said the 24-year-old defenseman looked like he picked up a step, along with more confidence in his overall game. It looks like Chad Ruhwedel, a terrific teammate who defines professionalism, will start alongside Joseph. The dependable veteran is able to log a lot of PK minutes.
That being said, the Penguins are currently carrying eight defensemen, including John Ludvig, claimed off of waivers from the Florida Panthers just this afternoon. He is signed through next season, with the 23-year-old playing parts of three seasons in the AHL with the Charlotte Checkers and Syracuse Crunch.
Also in the mix is Ryan Shea, an under-the-radar signing from this summer. The young blueliner brings a different dimension than others in the group, as he can defend well, but has good puck skills. “He’s not just an off-the-glass and out guy,” Sullivan said. Shea, who has yet to make his NHL debut, has done what he can to make the most of his opportunity.
