These Are the Guys Who Could Shape Penguins’ Season

The Pittsburgh Penguins have a pretty good idea of what they can expect from some of their players during the coming season.

Sidney Crosby should again be among the finest 200-foot performers in the sport, averaging better than a point per game and setting an example for his teammates all over the ice with his commitment and attention to detail.

Kris Letang, the occasional gaffe aside, will continue to be the anchor of the defense corps, blending offensive gifts, underrated physicality and exceptional conditioning.

Jake Guentzel again will be as fearless as he is efficient in the offensive zone, Chad Ruhwedel will be quietly effective in whatever duty he is given and Mark Friedman will irritate opponents more than a sharp pebble in their skate.

But even if the players whose contributions can be predicted perform exactly as expected, there are some who are wild cards, capable of producing well above — or below — what is anticipated. (The play of Evan Rodrigues and Kasperi Kapanen, respectively, in 2021-22 are example of those.)

What teams are able to get out of those players can go a long toward determining how successful (or disappointing) their season is and the Penguins, like most clubs, have some at every position up front and on defense. (If the Pittsburgh Penguins don’t get consistently strong play from No. 1 goalie Tristan Jarry, what the rest of the roster chips in probably won’t matter much.)

Here’s a look at the guys who, as the roster is currently constructed, shape up as the Penguins’ biggest personnel variables in 2022-23.

CENTER

Jeff Carter — He seemed ageless during the early months of last season, piling up 11 goals and nine assists in his first 29 games and filling in quite capably on the No. 2 line while Evgeni Malkin was recovering from offseason knee surgery.

But Carter’s effectiveness declined as the season progressed and he had eight goals and 17 assists in his final 45 games. (And while plus-minus obviously is a flawed, limited statistic, it’s hard to ignore that he was minus-1 in those initial 29 games, minus-7 in the last 45.)

With Sidney Crosby and Malkin returning, Carter figures to reprise his role as the third-line center, while getting work on the penalty-killing unit and No. 2 power play. He will be 38 on Jan. 1, and whether he performs like he has a wealth of experience — or is just getting old — will determine just how stable the Penguins are down the middle.

LEFT WING

Jason Zucker — Zucker has not been the offensive force the Pittsburgh Penguins anticipated when they acquired him from Minnesota in 2020, recording just 23 goals and 24 assists in 94 games.

Part of the problem has been a series of injuries, including one that required core-muscle surgery. Effort certainly isn’t an issue, as Zucker has been a vigorous and effective forechecker when he’s in the lineup.

It might not be realistic to pencil him in to match the 33 goals he scored for the Wild in 2017-18, but if Zucker can get 20-plus, it will add a dimension to a No. 2 line that has the potential to prevent opponents from focusing their defensive efforts on Crosby’s unit.

RIGHT WING

Kasperi Kapanen — He’s not exactly a polarizing figure, because Kapanen skeptics seem to far outnumber Kapanen supporters. And it’s not hard to see why.

The only thing on which there is universal agreement is that 2021-22 was a very bad season for him, as he had far more perplexing decisions — like a proclivity for curling toward the boards rather than going to the net after carrying the puck across the blue line — than points.

Still, management has enough confidence in him to have re-signed Kapanen for two years, and if he can parlay his speed and shot into goals and assists, it could give the offense a bump by allowing Mike Sullivan to deploy three lines that are a legitimate threat to score.

LEFT DEFENSE

Brian Dumoulin — Pretty much all of the Penguins’ left-handed defensemen come with some questions, but the most important one is whether Brian Dumoulin will be able to bounce back from a subpar performance last season.

If he does, Dumoulin and Letang will be a quality No. 1 pairing, as they have been for most of their time together. However, if Dumoulin stumbles, the aftershocks will ripple through the entire unit which, at least for now, does not have anyone qualified to step in alongside Letang.

Dumoulin is entering the final season of a contract with a salary-cap hit of $4.1 million, and while he doesn’t seem like a guy who needs extra motivation, playing for his next deal — and possibly his future with the Penguins — can’t hurt.

RIGHT DEFENSE

Jan Rutta — The right side of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ defense, headlined by Letang and Jeff Petry, might be the strongest part of their depth chart (not that having a pair of future Hall of Famers at center should be downplayed), so Rutta shouldn’t have to fill a high-profile, big-minutes niche.

Assuming Sullivan doesn’t shift him to the left side — Rutta has played both — he could prove to be a good partner on the third pairing for a lefty with offensive skills, like Ty Smith or P.O Joseph.

Being enough of a responsible defensive presence to allow a young player to develop his offensive game at this level would more than justify the three-year contract the Penguins gave Rutta a few weeks ago.