The one big concern that was somewhat addressed throughout Mondays first practice was the early line combinations that head coach Mike Sullivan opted for.
The secret here is mostly due to the fact that of the truth the Penguins never ever really had a completely healthy lineup this season and were constantly trying to patch things together anyhow they could.
This is all still extremely surreal, however the Pittsburgh Penguins opened their July training camp on Monday as they begin their preparations to go after the Stanley Cup, starting with their play-in round matchup versus the Montreal Canadiens.
We know Crosby and Guentzel have a chemistry that works. We likewise understand that Guentzel and Evgeni Malkin were controling the last time we saw them together. Prior to the world went insane it was pretty much a daily question around these parts as to where Guentzel would play.
On Monday, we got our very first hint– back with Crosby.
Together with that there is the concern of where in-season addition Jason Zucker might wind up playing.
What we were particularly looking for here was whether or not Jake Guentzel would right away return to Sidney Crosbys line, and presuming he did, who would be the 2nd winger for that trio.
The complete lines and defense pairings from Monday:
Forwards
Jake Guentzel– Sidney Crosby– Conor Sheary
Jason Zucker– Evgeni Malkin– Bryan Rust
Patrick Marleau– Jared McCann– Evan Rodrigues/Sam Lafferty
Zach Aston-Reese – Teddy Blueger – Brandon Tanev
Defense
Brian Dumoulin– Kris Letang
Marcus Pettersson– John Marino
Jack Johnson – Justin Schultz
Chad Ruhwedel– Kevin Czuzman
Some ideas:
There were nine players held out since of prospective secondary exposure to COVID-19, but the only NHL routine out of that group was Patric Hornqvist. Presuming he is able to return in a prompt way you need to figure he slots into that 3rd line spot that was filled by Evan Rodrigues and Sam Lafferty on Monday.
When it comes to the lines and defense pairings themselves, I truthfully think that is as near to perfect as you can get. It is practically exactly what you hoped a healthy roster to look like. You know Guentzel and Crosby will work well together, as does the Malkin-Rust combination. Add Zucker into that mix which is a dynamite 2nd line. The fourth line has been a tour de force of protective hockey this season, and the 3rd line has enough offense to strike worry into challengers. That group of forwards is as deep as any group the Penguins have had because their newest Stanley Cup team. That is 100 percent a championship quality unit.
On defense, I feel as good about the top-four as I have in years. Letang and Dumoulin is as good as it gets in the NHL when both are healthy, and I like the capacity of a Marino-Pettersson pairing. Marino has been Jim Rutherfords best addition of the season and probably one of the very best ones he has actually made in three years. The only concern on defense, of course, is the 3rd pairing with Johnson and Schultz. Every group has a flaw. This is the Penguins defect. This is not to keep diving on the stack when it pertains to these two, but it is what it is. At this point I am not even sure there is another option. Splitting them up not does anything but keep back a better pairing someplace else and you really do not desire to do that because the other two pairings can be so great. At least in this manner you can shelter them in limited minutes and put them into positions where they can be hidden.
We have actually been waiting all year to see what this team can do when it is healthy. If this particular lineup can stay on the ice there is absolutely huge capacity here. What modifications would you make or want to see before video games start once again?
When it comes to the lines and defense pairings themselves, I truthfully think that is as close to perfect as you can get. The 4th line has been a trip de force of protective hockey this season, and the third line has enough offense to strike worry into opponents. Letang and Dumoulin is as great as it gets in the NHL when both are healthy, and I enjoy the capacity of a Marino-Pettersson pairing. The only concern on defense, of course, is the third pairing with Johnson and Schultz. Splitting them up does absolutely nothing but hold back a better pairing somewhere else and you actually do not want to do that due to the fact that the other 2 pairings can be so great.
