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Examining The Pittsburgh Penguins Bottom Six Options

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The Pittsburgh Penguins saw more turnover this offseason than any other organization in the NHL. From the hiring of President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Kyle Dubas to the signing of a multitude of fourth liners, the Pittsburgh Penguins look wildly different than they did six months ago. It’s certainly a welcome change in the Steel City after the Penguins missed the playoffs for the first time since 2006.

In a recent season preview that was completed by Sean Gentille, Shayna Goldman, and Dom Luszczyszyn of The Athletic, the trio pointed out that one of the biggest issues with the Penguins last season was the lack of support from the bottom six forward group. The group was so bad that nearly half of it was put on waivers before the trade deadline. Kasperi Kapanen was claimed, Brock McGinn was traded, and many others departed in free agency or were traded away.

Kyle Dubas completely overhauled the bottom six almost exclusively through free agency. In the early days of free agency, the Penguins signed Noel Acciari, Lars Eller, Vinnie Hinostroza, Andreas Johnsson, Joona Koppanen, Matt Nieto, and Radim Zohorna. Dubas also traded for Rem Pitlick who was a throw-in as part of the Erik Karlsson trade. These eight players now find themselves competing with the remaining Penguins’ bottom six options Jeff Carter, Alexander Nylander and Drew O’Connor, as well as Colin White who is in camp on a PTO. The group of 12 will be competing for six or seven NHL spots in the Penguins forward group.

Competition is almost always a good thing in the NHL and the Penguins training camp has seen a lot of it. Very little is set in their bottom six, except that it will likely be again void of offence. While the group doesn’t have a ton of offensive firepower, they clearly have an identity, which is something that didn’t exist in previous seasons in Pittsburgh. Dubas has targeted players who are capable defensively, can skate with pace, and won’t hand the game away by giving up backbreaking goals. The same can’t be said for the Penguins’ bottom six last season.

With all this, one must wonder which players will have the inside track to start opening night on the Penguins’ third and fourth line. Let’s look at the way Head Coach Mike Sullivan and the Penguins might utilize their options.

In a perfect world, Eller would be a perfect fourth-line center, but in Pittsburgh, he will likely see duty as a third-line pivot. At 34 years old, Eller’s best days are behind him, but he is still a very capable penalty killer and is defensively sound. Eller doesn’t offer the offensive pop he did in his last 20s, but he is just a year removed from a 31-point season.

Flanking Eller on the left side will likely be O’Connor, the Penguins love his size and speed and are hoping he can piece it all together. It goes to show how top-heavy the Penguins are when they are counting on a player who has eight goals and nine assists in 78 career games to be a key component of their third line.

When healthy, it seems very possible that the Penguins will deploy Nylander. The former eighth-overall pick has the pedigree to be a scorer in the NHL, but he has never been able to produce enough offense to stick with an NHL club. Nylander will start the season on the Penguins second line in the absence of Jake Guentzel, and depending on his production he could find himself flanking the right side of the third line, or exposed to waivers.

The Penguins’ fourth line is where it gets interesting. Nieto and Acciari were targeted by Dubas on July 1st and fit the identity that Dubas and Sullivan are building for that group. Nieto is a terrific penalty killer and will be utilized in that role a lot, while Acciari adds a physical element and is good defensively. Both players can add a bit of offense as well, Nieto is coming off a season in which he posted 12 goals and 12 assists in 81 games, while Acciari had 14 goals and 9 assists last season in 77 games.

Finally, last season’s lightning rod Carter remains under contract for one more season and is still a favorite of Coach Sullivan. Carter was never removed from the Penguins lineup last year, despite having the worst season of his professional career. Carter looked run down at times and was consistently a step behind when it came to both offense and defense. However, he was utilized in a third-line center role and probably shouldn’t have been. Carter could perform better when being deployed less often and in a more sheltered role. Given Sullivan’s affinity for Carter, it would take a lot to remove the 38-year-old from Pittsburgh’s lineup.

How the Penguins bottom six will look on opening night remains a mystery. But it should be one of the more exciting roster battles to see in the final week of training camp. The Penguins will have to expose a lot of players to waivers to trim down their roster and could lose some bodies to other teams depending on how things shake out.

Injury Notes: Norris, Perfetti, Matheson

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Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia is reporting that Ottawa Senators center Josh Norris is practicing once again in a normal contact jersey today. The 24-year-old shed his yellow non-contact jersey for yesterday’s practice after he tweaked something two weeks ago at the start of training camp. Norris has missed 90 games over the past two seasons with a shoulder injury and has continued to deal with the ailment despite several surgical and rehabilitation efforts.

Last season, Norris injured the shoulder while taking a faceoff against the Arizona Coyotes in October, he attempted to do rehab and came back to play in January, but then re-injured his shoulder after three games. He finished the year with two goals and a single assist in just eight games in what was a very disappointing first year of an eight-year $63.6MM contract.

In other injury notes:

  • Sportsnet is reporting that Cole Perfetti left the Winnipeg Jets preseason game last night against the Calgary Flames after taking a dangerous hit from Martin Pospisil. Perfetti didn’t return to the game and was absent from practice this morning when it began. However, according to Winnipeg Sun reporter Scott Billeck, Perfetti did practice in a smaller group of just five players. Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press is reporting that Perfetti is day-to-day at the moment.
  • Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports is reporting that Montreal Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson didn’t practice today with the team. The 29-year-old was a late scratch last night for the Canadiens preseason game against the Ottawa Senators in what was said to be precautionary. Matheson dealt with several injuries last season, which makes any scratch worrisome at this point. Eric Engels of Sportsnet reported last night that Matheson is dealing with a lower body injury that is unrelated to the groin and abdominal injuries he dealt with last season and would’ve played through the injury had the game been a regular season matchup.

Devils Offered Tomáš Tatar A One Year Contract

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Colorado Avalanche forward Tomáš Tatar lingered in free agency peril for most of the summer before he finally signed a one-year deal with the team for $1.5MM. However, he recently told the Boris a Brambor Podcast that the New Jersey Devils had offered him a one-year contract earlier in the offseason.

When discussing the one-year offer from the Devils, Tatar said he wanted more term from the Devils when they made their offer, but only realized later in free agency that a multi-year deal wasn’t possible. By the time he’d changed his mind, the Devils had already acquired forward Tyler Toffoli from the Calgary Flames, making his return to New Jersey improbable.

Given Tatar’s timeline of events, it seems likely the Devils made their offer prior to June 27th when Toffoli was dealt to New Jersey. It’s hard to fault Tatar for thinking he could get a multi-year deal as he was coming off a good season in which he scored 20 goals and 28 assists in 82 games. His run-in free agency was one of the more puzzling things that happened this summer in hockey as he didn’t come close to getting the contract that many pundits predicted he would. The Athletic had Tatar projected to receive a three-year contract with an average annual value of $3.9MM but the flat cap and an underwhelming playoff hurt his earning potential.

Tatar’s situation is not unlike that of Evan Rodrigues last summer, he also signed with Colorado on a one-year deal after lingering in free agency for quite a while. Rodrigues signed a four-year $12MM contract this year with the Florida Panthers, something that Tatar could mimic next summer if he has another good year.

Free agency is often a guessing game, and it is sometimes hard to project who will take a one-year deal and who can get term. Many people were blindsided by which players received term on their new deals (Ryan Reaves) and which players took one-year deals (Jason Zucker). But with the flat cap, free agency has become harder than ever as evidenced by a useful middle six forward like Tatar going more than two months unsigned.

Joel Edmundson Out 4-6 Weeks With Hand Injury

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The Washington Capitals have announced that defenseman Joel Edmundson will miss 4-6 weeks with a fractured hand after he suffered the injury during a scrimmage on Sunday. The native of Brandon, Manitoba had surgery yesterday on the injured hand and should be back in action by mid-November.

Edmundson came over to Washington in a trade this summer from the Montreal Canadiens in which the Capitals gave up a third and a seventh-round pick for his services. The 30-year-old has been hampered by injuries the past few seasons, particularly last year when he dealt with a chronic back issue that limited him to just 61 games. Edmundson posted two goals and 11 assists last season and was -29.

The injury is another run of bad luck for the former Stanley Cup winner. Edmundson had been battling in training camp and appeared eager to take on a fresh start in Washington. He is in the final season of a four-year $14MM contract he signed with the Canadiens back in 2020 and will need a big year if he wants to cash in on free agency. The flat cap has limited the free agent market for players over 30 years of age and could hinder Edmundson’s future earning potential.

The Capitals are expected to have several players battle for Edmundson’s spot while he is out of the lineup with Vincent Iorio, Hardy Haman, Lucas Johansen, and Alexander Alexeyev the favorites to claim his position.

The Capitals missed the playoffs last season and are hoping for a bounce back this year but so far have dealt with a few setbacks in the form of Edmundson’s injury, as well as the injury to Max Pacioretty, who has no timetable to return as of right now.

Coaching Snapshots: Ruff, McLellan, Brind’Amour

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TSN Insider Pierre LeBrun is reporting that the New Jersey Devils continue to work on signing head coach Lindy Ruff to a multi-year extension. Ruff had the option on his contract picked up for this season but will be a free agent at the end of the 2023-24 season. Devils General Manager Tom Fitzgerald told Lebrun that the intention is to sign Ruff long-term, but didn’t give any details as to whether or not there are any sticking points or holdups in the negotiations.

Last season, Ruff led the Devils on their first playoff run since 2018 with a record of 52-22-8 finishing second in the Metropolitan Division. The Devils knocked off the New York Rangers in the first round in seven games before falling in the second round to the Carolina Hurricanes. For his career, Ruff has coached for three organizations (Buffalo Sabres, Dallas Stars, New Jersey) and has a career record of 834-652-78.

In other coaching news:

  • LeBrun added that he believes the Los Angeles Kings and Head Coach Todd McLellan are also working on an extension at this time. Few details were given, but much like Ruff, McLellan is in the final season of his existing contract. In four seasons with the Kings, the 55-year-old has guided the club to a 141-115-34 record that includes back-to-back first-round playoff losses to the Edmonton Oilers. McLellan’s contract negotiation could be interesting as he reportedly is making $5MM in the final year of a five-year $25MM contract he signed in April of 2019.
  • LeBrun said on TSN Insider Trading that the Carolina Hurricanes and Head Coach Rod Brind’Amour have yet to discuss an extension. Much like Ruff and McLellan, Brind’Amour will be a free agent at the end of the year. Lebrun did speak to Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon who said that the Hurricanes do intend to engage Brind’Amour and get him signed to a contract extension very soon. Brind’Amour is widely considered to be one of the top coaches in the NHL and would likely initiate a large bidding war if his services were ever offered up on the open market.

Patrick Kane Won’t Talk To Teams Until Late October

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TSN Insider Darren Dreger is reporting that unrestricted free agent forward Patrick Kane isn’t likely to start talking with teams until the end of October. Kane’s agent, Pat Brisson has been receiving a lot of calls on the three-time Stanley Cup Champion, but they won’t have meetings with teams until more medical information is available in mid-late October.

Kane has been rehabbing from hip resurfacing surgery that he had on June 1st and his initial timetable was 4-6 months to recover from the procedure. If Kane does return at the end of October, he will fall right into the window of the initial projection.

Kane’s contract situation is sure to be a tricky one as fellow TSN Insider Chris Johnston points out. Most teams that would be of interest to Kane are pressed right up against the salary cap ceiling and wouldn’t have very many avenues available to fit in Kane’s next contract. The 34-year-old is ineligible for a 35+ contract as he is five months short of hitting that mark, and a signing bonus would create other problems for an interested team.

Little is known about who a frontrunner for Kane’s services would be. The Buffalo Sabres have been thrown around in rumor mills as they have over $8MM in cap space and are Kane’s hometown team, but nothing concrete has emerged from the speculation.

It seems unlikely that Kane will be able to get much more than a one-year deal since he is signing in season. However, teams have found ways to get creative in the past with the salary cap so it shouldn’t be ruled out.

Kane was still a very productive player last season posting 21 goals and 36 assists in 73 games. However, it is unknown how he will play after surgery. Players who have had this surgery in the past have not typically had very successful returns. Ed Jovanovski had it a decade ago and was only able to play 37 games after the surgery before he was forced to retire.

Nicklas Backstrom is also currently going through the same process as Kane and returned last season to dress in 39 games posting seven goals and 14 assists. While those numbers are far off his career norms, Backstrom is in his mid-30s and missed training camp. Something Kane will also have to contend with.

Snapshots: Senators Arena, Pysyk, Öhgren

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Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia is reporting that new Ottawa Senators owner Michael Andlauer estimates that a new arena in Ottawa would cost around $900MM and must make economic sense in order for it to happen. A new Ottawa arena has been an ongoing saga in the City of Ottawa for nearly a decade and according to some economists, it should be the first order of business for the new owner.

The Senators have played in the Ottawa suburb of Kanata since 1996 in a building that felt out of date shortly after it opened. The team has been lobbying for quite some time to get a new venue in Ottawa’s downtown core but has yet to be successful in breaking ground on a new arena. Previous owner Eugene Melnyk came close in 2016 when he tried to make a deal to build a new arena on federal land, but ultimately fell short of his goal. With the Senators now firmly under Andlauer’s control, it should be interesting to see if the Senators are finally able to break ground on a new building in a more central part of the city.

In other notes:

  • Pittsburgh Hockey Now is reporting that defenseman Mark Pysyk saw his attempted comeback hit a roadblock yesterday as he was injured in a pre-season game with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Pysyk has been trying to catch on with the Penguins for this season as he plays out training camp on a PTO. The 31-year-old missed all last season after signing with the Detroit Red Wings and hasn’t played a full season since he posted three goals and nine assists with the Buffalo Sabres in 2021-22. No information on Pysyk’s status or injury has been released at this time.
  • Färjestad BK announced today that Minnesota Wild prospect Liam Öhgren will be leaving Sweden to travel to Minnesota to undergo testing on an undisclosed injury. The injury has kept the 2022 19th overall pick off the ice this season and the Wild have opted to get a second opinion on the nature of his injury. Öhgren signed his entry-level contract last summer and has been on loan in Sweden since then. He was expected to make the jump to North America for the 2024-25 season, but with the uncertainty surrounding the injury, little is known about Öhgren’s playing future.

Mason McTavish Is Day-To-Day With Injury

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The Anaheim Ducks have announced that center Mason McTavish is day-to-day with an injury. Derek Lee of The Sporting Tribune tweeted that Ducks General Manager Pat Verbeek told reporters that McTavish tweaked something at yesterday’s practice while he was reaching for a puck. Verbeek remained optimistic that the injury was of the minor variety adding that he believed it was a muscle spasm that likely needed a day or two of rest before the 20-year-old could get back on the ice.

The Ducks are already missing several key young pieces at training camp who are without contracts for next year and can ill afford to miss McTavish for any length of time. Although the Ducks aren’t expected to be a contender this season the club is hoping that their young players like McTavish can take a big step forward and develop into frontline NHL players.

McTavish was the Ducks’ third overall pick in the 2021 NHL entry draft and had a good rookie season last year posting 17 goals and 26 assists in 80 games. Despite his decent numbers, McTavish ran out of gas for the last stretch of the season posting just a goal and an assist in the final 12 games of the regular season. He also suffered an injury on April 11th that effectively ended his season. A strong training camp will go a long way to getting McTavish some of his confidence back that he seemed to lose towards the end of last year.

If Verbeek’s assessment is correct it shouldn’t be an issue for the young McTavish to be well-prepared for the Ducks regular-season opener on October 14th against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Winnipeg Jets Sign Colby Barlow To ELC

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The Winnipeg Jets took care of some business today as they announced that they’ve signed 2023 first-round pick Colby Barlow to a three-year entry-level deal. Barlow was drafted 18th overall back in June out of the OHL after he captained the Owen Sound Attack last season. The native of Orillia, Ontario had good numbers as a winger last season with the Attack registering 46 goals and 33 assists in 59 games. In two seasons in the OHL with the Attack, Barlow has 76 goals and 50 assists in 118 games.

On top of his short, but successful OHL career, Barlow has also seen a lot of success internationally. In 2022, Barlow helped the Canadians win gold at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup as well as a bronze medal at the 2023 IIHF U18 World Championship.

Barlow’s ELC will pay him an NHL salary of $950K to go along with a signing bonus that will be paid out in three-year installments of $95K. He will carry an annual cap hit of $1.2MM at the NHL level, and should he play in the minors, he would receive a salary of $82,500.

It’s unlikely that Barlow will make the Jets out of training camp, but he’s done enough to earn his first NHL contract and can hang his hat on that should he be sent back to the OHL for more seasoning.

Latest On The Jake DeBrusk Contract Situation

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Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub wrote the latest on the Boston Bruins contract negotiations with pending unrestricted free agent forward Jake DeBrusk. Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney spoke with the media today and did little to hide the fact that the Bruins would like to re-sign the 26-year-old to a long-term contract extension.

Sweeney told reporters that the club would like to see DeBrusk remain with the Bruins and will continue to engage with him and his agent in hopes of finding common ground on an extension. The Bruins are tight to the cap for this upcoming season but at the moment are slated to have $28.5MM available in cap space (CapFriendly) next summer before any cap increases. Sweeney’s comments echo what DeBrusk told NHL.com Staff Writer Derek Van Diest back in August when he said he would like to remain in Boston long-term.

Given where both sides appear to be it seems likely that a deal can be reached, which would take one item off Boston’s to-do list over the next year. The Bruins will enter this season with tempered expectations after winning the President’s Trophy last season and suffering a historical upset at the hands of the Florida Panthers. Boston lost a lot of pieces to free agency and retirement and will have far less depth than they did last year.

The DeBrusk situation could have a happy ending after the relationship between the player and the club appeared rocky just a short time ago. Back in November of 2021, DeBrusk was benched by former Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy, and this prompted DeBrusk to request a trade. He eventually rescinded his trade request and had a terrific bounce-back last season posting 27 goals and 23 assists in 64 games.

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