Penguins Positional Overview: Forwards

A lot happened this offseason, with Penguins President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Kyle Dubas making plenty of moves to put the team in a position to compete for the Stanley Cup.

So, with that, we’re going to take a look at where each position stands heading into Penguins Training Camp presented by UPMC, scheduled to begin next week … starting with the forwards.

NOTABLE OFFSEASON ADDITIONS: Noel Acciari, Lars Eller, Vinnie Hinostroza, Andreas Johnsson, Matt Nieto, Rem Pitlick, Reilly Smith, Austin Wagner, Colin White, Radim Zohorna

NOTABLE OFFSEASON DEPARTURES: Josh Archibald, Nick Bonino, Mikael Granlund, Danton Heinen, Ryan Poehling, Jason Zucker

As always, the Penguins boast one of the best one-two punches in the league with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, who are both coming off of excellent seasons. Crosby (33G-58A-91PTS) and Malkin (27G-56A-83PTS) combined for 174 points, the third-highest total in a single campaign by a pair of teammates age 35 or older in NHL history.

They anchor the top six, which is in tremendous shape with a healthy Jake Guentzel. When he is ready to return after undergoing offseason ankle surgery, the 28-year-old winger will slot right back in alongside his longtime linemate Crosby, with the duo likely joined by Bryan Rust.

Rickard Rakell ended last year on Malkin’s right, and will probably return to that spot, while Dubas went out and acquired Reilly Smith at a bargain price to offset the depature of Jason Zucker, who signed with Arizona. Smith, a five-time 20-goal scorer, played a key role in helping the Vegas Golden Knights win the Stanley Cup.

But while Guentzel is sidelined to start the year—he is projected to miss around five games—his absence will cause a ripple effect as the Penguins look to fill that open spot. Either with Rakell and/or Smith moving up, through other internal candidates, or one of the new additions.

“I don’t think that there are many ready-made replacements for Jake,” Dubas said. “He is one of the better wingers in the NHL and certainly has a great chemistry with Sid. They have had great success together. With that said, one of the fortunate parts is it creates a major opportunity for our own young people that are here, but also more importantly, it was one of the things we tried to address in free agency.”

For more from Kyle Dubas on Jake Guentzel, click here.

Dubas and his team wanted to add talent to the forward group and construct a stronger supporting cast. After all, the Penguins got great performances out of their core players, but still missed the playoffs. Management focused on building depth on the wings, and while a number of players were brought in with the intention of being in the bottom-six, some have the ability to move around the lineup.

Like Matt Nieto, who brings a two-way game to Pittsburgh after parts of 10 seasons in the NHL split between Colorado and San Jose …

Like Andreas Johnsson, who had 20 goals in 73 games during his rookie season in 2018-19, and has 116 points (48G-68A) in 259 career regular-season contests at the NHL level …

Like Vinnie Hinostroza, who has familiarity with his former Notre Dame teammate Rust, and a chip on his shoulder after spending time in the minors last year following five seasons in the NHL …

Like Rem Pitlick, who came over from Montreal as part of the Erik Karlsson trade, and has 123 games under his belt at age 26 …

Like Joona Koppanen, with the 25-year-old finally breaking into the NHL and appearing in five games with the Bruins during their historic season after years spent in Liiga (Finland’s top pro league), AHL and ECHL …

And like Radim Zohorna (also known as Big Z), returning for his second stint with the Penguins after having some good moments in his first stint from 2020-22.

Any of those players could step up, but they’ll have to earn it, as Dubas feels strongly about giving younger guys opportunities. He named Drew O’Connor (25), Alex Nylander (25), Valtteri Puustinen (24) and Sam Poulin (22) as candidates. O’Connor’s game has been steadily building since signing with the Penguins as a college free agent in 2020, while Nylander showed some strong offensive glimpses at the end of last season. Poulin, Pittsburgh’s first-round pick in 2019, really impressed at training camp last September. He made his NHL debut, something Puustinen – who’s displayed great offensive instincts and finishing ability at the AHL level – has yet to do.

Lars Eller headlines the list of players that will almost certainly start in the bottom-six, as he’s penciled in as the third-line center. The veteran is looking forward to the opportunity, and ready to embrace the role. Noel Acciari should be there as well, with Brandon Tanev confident that his former college buddy will win over Penguins fans with his brand of hockey.

With Teddy Blueger, Ryan Poehling and Nick Bonino no longer with the Penguins, Jeff Carter—38 years old and entering the last season of his three-year deal—could center the fourth line, as he played in that position for the last month of last season. But there are some other options, like Zohorna, Poulin and O’Connor.

Dubas also signed Colin White and Austin Wagner to Professional Tryout Offers (PTOs), and those two should be battling for spots somewhere in the mix.

White helped the Florida Panthers reach the Stanley Cup Final, appearing in 68 regular-season games before playing in all 21 of their postseason games. The 26-year-old, who was drafted by Ottawa in the first round back in 2015, has picked up 113 points in 292 career NHL games. Wagner had 12 goals in 62 games during his rookie year with Los Angeles in 2018-19, and after spending the following two seasons in the NHL, has played primarily in the NHL.

As it stands right now, there is a lot to figure out as the Penguins look to put together forward combinations that will give them the best chance to win – and like Dubas, we’re excited to see how it all plays out.