Kingerski: 3 Things Necessary for Penguins Rebuild (+)

“If they waive Valtteri Puustinen, my heart will break,” wrote one viewer to Pittsburgh Hockey Now’s live chat on Wednesday, which focused on the immediate Pittsburgh Penguins’ path forward as well as the prospects who will soon be ready for their shining debut on NHL ice.

There have been so few prospects in the Penguins organization over the last decade that a happy-go-lucky Finn with a big smile and whippy wrist shot who rose to the big show from the humble origins of a seventh-round draft pick is bound to attract a fair amount of fans. Yet, a glut of Penguins forwards about to begin training camp in a couple of weeks may well banish him back to the AHL or cause him to be a sacrificial lamb to the waiver wire.

He had only 20 points in 52 games last season.

1. No Loyalty, No Emotion

Puustinen could come to represent the impossible balance between remaining competitive for the veteran-laden core and fostering young players who may or may not have a long-term future in the NHL.