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Penguins Q&A: Which Prospects Stand Out, Ryan Graves & Bottom Six

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Pittsburgh Penguins, Ryan Graves, prospects

BUFFALO — In a preseason game featuring many of the Penguins’ prospects against something closely resembling the NHL lineup of the Buffalo Sabres, Penguins’ winger Jesse Puljujarvi rose to the challenge, quickly changing the conversation on overstuffed roster battle for spots in the Penguins’ bottom six crew.

That is why they play the games. Coach Mike Sullivan specifically circled Puljujarvi, who notched a hat trick and saw one lonely Penguin’s hat hit the ice, which the referee tossed back into the crowd at Key Bank Center Saturday night.

Hey, that was now Puljujarvi’s hat. But I digress.

A language barrier means Puljujarvi isn’t the greatest postgame interview, but the point Puljujarvi made clear is that he’s healthy and can do things that he could not last season following double hip surgery. Puljujarvi is moving significantly better, and he’s skating forcefully in traffic.

There are still drawbacks, but he’s been noticeable in camp scrimmages, too.

This writer’s circled moments were not the goals but standing up for teammates in the third period. Buffalo decided to rough up the Penguins’ prospects in garbage time–needless, unnecessary nonsense in what was a 6-1 game–and Puljujarvi was the first to stand up for his crew.

He scored a sweet goal on a power move to the net, but being willing to punch back was the clincher on a standout game. A bottom-six player won’t score many goals, but will they do the things necessary to help the team in other ways? Puljujarvi answered yes on Saturday.

We threw up the bat signal early in the obvious blowout for a reader Q&A (follow me on X for such callouts), so here we go:

Penguins Q&A

 

The prospects got their first taste of the bright lights, and it was humbling. Buffalo roughed them up on the ice and scoreboard. It was no coincidence that the prospect who looked the best Saturday was Rutger McGoarty. He is not only the most talented prospect, but he played with Drew O’Connor and Cody Glass—two NHL players.

He got a bit sideways in the defensive zone, but he also did some very good things in the offensive zone.

That Penguins trade to clear roster space should be coming soon.

I liked that Tristan Broz got his hands dirty in the scrums. He was angry after the game and eagerly awaiting a second chance—that’s the type of attitude that will put him on the fast track to the NHL. Broz won 57% of his faceoffs and got a good education. Let’s see how he does in the second game.

Vasily Ponomarev was a bit quiet on Saturday. He won only 21% of his draws and didn’t play with the puck enough. There were moments when he flashed that speed and sandpaper, but a gritty game should have been his forte. He’ll need to let it rip in his next game.

The prospect who had the worst night was Joel Blomqvist. I didn’t think he looked strong in the first period despite stopping 15 of 16. He had a meltdown in the second; those were mostly bad goals allowed. His performance was concerning. Perhaps internal conversations identified issues, which led to re-signing Alex Nedeljkovic in June, despite Penguins president of hockey operations/GM Kyle Dubas publicly rolling out the red carpet for Blomqvist in mid-April. It’s a situation to watch.

Concern is the wrong word—there are issues. They are not large ones, yet—but Blomqvist will need to improve on a couple of fundamental qualities to reach the highest level with success.

The world is full of goalies who didn’t take the last step despite all indications they could, and that’s why you still don’t see many goalies taken in the first round or even the second. It’s up to Blomqvist to get better at absorbing shots and improving his anticipation at the speedier, higher levels. The latter will improve the former.

As for players who could be in the lineup on Oct. 9, Puljujarvi and McGroarty are the favorites after Saturday. Puljujarvi’s rising stock makes it harder for Ponomarev.

Oh good, I wondered who would inherit the Jack Johnson Memorial Award, annually given to the reviled player who selflessly shoulders an enormously disproportionate share of the blame. The previous two-time winner, Jeff Carter, has retired. So, now that Sidney Crosby signed a contract, many can turn their attention to these pressing matters.

Ryan Graves played against a fierce NHL competition with Mac Hollowell. Graves wasn’t especially on his toes–he’s an NHL veteran playing in the first preseason game on the road. That was not his time to shine. The defense I’ll offer is that Hollowell was not in proper spots on several occasions, forcing Graves to look to find him, and … IT’S THE FIRST PRESEASON GAME AND ON THE ROAD. If you’re judging a veteran based on that game, you’re following in the footsteps of Chester Copperpot, looking for One-Eyed Willie.

I’ve been struggling to answer this question. The bottom six will be significantly faster this season and have a good bit more grit. They will indeed be tougher to play against.

The fulcrum of their success will be their offensive production. Will the group have enough offense to alleviate Crosby’s burden? I’ve liked Kevin Hayes’s slick playmaking in the intrasquad scrimmages, but I’d like to see it against NHL talent from another team.

I haven’t seen much from Cody Glass yet. If he wants to secure his NHL spot, this week is “go time,” otherwise Puljujarvi will swipe it from him.

And lastly…

Based on last night, it’s a good reminder that they are prospects, and this is their first time through the process. It’s Owen Pickering’s first training camp in which he can participate. It’s the first time Tristan Broz has attended camp. Ponomarev is still 22 and figuring out where he fits. As near as I can tell, it’s also Ville Koivunen’s first go-round in an NHL training camp (he wasn’t at camp with Carolina last season), and he’s only 21.

The boys got their first lecture at the school of hard knocks. Play faster, keep your head up (Nicholas Aube-Kubel leveled Ponomarev at center ice), move the puck quickly, and learn where space will open up. The difference between Europe/college and the AHL is a jump, but the AHL to the NHL is a canyon.

It’s merely the first step for most of the Penguins’ prospects, so patience, young Grasshopper. Patience.

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