Penguins/NHL
The Pittsburgh Penguins opened training camp Wednesday and one thing that’s much clearer compared to last season is while the Top 9 of the roster might not be good enough to compete with the Big Boys, the Penguins organizationally are much, much deeper with NHL caliber forwards where they have the makings of not being locked into their bottom forward group like last season. It’s a large group of more 4th line level type players, but you can make arguments the Penguins are about 20 forwards deep of guys who can play in the NHL level in a pinch.
Among the top burning questions in camp:
Are any forward spots truly up for grabs?
“I think it will be a competitive camp,” head coach Mike Sullivan said. “What we’re looking for is competitive spirit, execution, hockey IQ, those are the things that I think add up to make a positive impact. So, regardless of what the position is, guys are going to get an opportunity to show what they can do. If they can make an impact in a positive way with the group, then certainly they’ll be in the conversation to make the roster.”
Despite Sullivan’s positive comments young guys are going to be in consideration, the sense in the organization continues to be Sullivan and the core will strongly push for a 15-20 game run heavily tailored towards a veteran lineup before younger guys like a Vasily Ponomarev are embraced for roles.
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Line Combo Buzz: Pairings to Watch
–A lot of what you see early on in camp is just filling in space but Anthony Beauvillier getting time on Sidney Crosby’s left wing is a legit situation to watch. Management and coaches have seen Beauvillier as a rover type who could play anywhere in the top three lines and belief is Crosby has been intrigued about seeing how Beauvillier with his one-on-one ability and vision can mesh with him. There’s a chance Beauvillier will get an early little run on here and the Penguins still believe the Islanders version of Beauvillier is still out there………..
–Pittsburgh’s analytics team pinpointed Matt Grzelcyk as an ideal buy-low partner for Kris Letang. That was another legit pairing to open camp and far from a shocking development.
— While there was certainly some Lars Eller trade speculation around the draft and early days of free agency, there is no To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!
— Some bottom-6 Tandems: Lars Eller/Cody Glass & Kevin Hayes/Blake Lizotte. Michael Bunting started camp with Eller/Glass, that will not stick as Bunting will be back up with Evgeni Malkin when things start to get serious. Kevin Hayes who the coaches are ecstatic about, is more likely to be featured in a third line role than a defensive role on 4th line. Scouts have felt Lizotte/Glass are an ideal pairing because of their defensive acumen. Don’t’ be surprised to see them together soon as a tandem.
— Ryan Graves remember him? If Erik Karlsson is healthy to start the season and no other injuries pop up, Graves has gone into camp as the clear [hide] #7 defenseman behind Pettersson/Karlsson, Grzelcyk/Letang, Aho/St Ivany.[/hide]
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More Buzz
— Leading up to camp this week, privately there was a lot of ‘pump the brakes’ on Rutger McGroarty in the organization that he’s going to be handed a roster spot. Seems to be a sense he has his work cut out to make Mike Sullivan a believer To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!
— Ville Koivunen who Penguins management viewed as the prize prospect acquired in the Jake Guentzel trade, got a taste of starting camp with Evgeni Malkin. Koivunen is one of those high IQ players who is much more noticeable in game situations than practice drills. Figures to be a redshirt year for Koivunen with the Penguins hopes of having him ready for a full-time role in 2025-2026…………Is Vasily Ponomarev a trade asset if the Penguins are competitive and seek to add to the team come January or February? The Penguins got a lot of calls on Ponomarev this summer as teams believe he is ready for the NHL. Some see even third line upside. Pittsburgh’s Off-season moves, though, have made an NHL start for Ponomarev highly unlikely. Pittsburgh attempted to build a trade for To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!
— Most Under the radar prospect in the Penguins system is hands down Owen Pickering. Evaluators outside the organization believe a #2 pairing ceiling remains in play for Pickering and there seems to be a sense the Penguins current regime should be higher on Pickering than they are. To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!
