Seven dogs and one bone | Penguins Perspectives
Welcome to Penguins Perspectives, a weekly column by KDKA-TV Digital Producer Patrick Damp. Each Friday, Patrick will talk about the week that was, the week to come, what to watch for, and more.
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Last week, we talked about the opportunity ahead for some of the young players.
Rutger McGroarty, Tristan Broz, Ville Koivunen, Vasily Ponmoarev, Cody Glass, and Valtteri Puustinen are all part of an attempt at a youth movement the Penguins so desperately need as the sun begins to set on a truly successful era of hockey.
However, as camp has continued to progress, it appears the youth movement may be on hold for another year, but not for the reason people like to cite - Head Coach Mike Sullivan not preferring younger players and favoring veterans.
While this isn't supposed to come off as a blind defense and deference to Sullivan, he's certainly made his fair share of puzzling choices over the past few years, it does provide us with insight.
Again, last week we discussed how in years past we talked ourselves into some of the younger players in the system simply because they were younger, but the talent didn't match the potential.
Many have found themselves confounded by what appears to be the NHL group and the minor league group. Among them in the bottom six are Anthony Beauviller, Lars Eller, Jesse Puljujarvi, Cody Glass, Kevin Hayes, Blake Lizotte, and Noel Acciari.
Absent from them are some of those younger names - McGroarty, Broz, Koivunen, Ponmoarev, and Puustinen.
They find themselves working with what will likely be the group of players sent to the minor leagues over the next week or so.
Don't fret over this, because there truly is a battle between seven players for one spot.
Beauviller and Lizotte were not signed to sit in the press box or play in the AHL. While the trade was to get draft picks, Hayes wasn't acquired to sit out.
Now, they could if their performances slip, but to start, they'll be in the NHL lineup. We know what Eller can do, Acciari is an NHL-caliber bottom-six player.
That leaves one spot in the bottom six and seven players to fill it.
One has to figure that the two players with the best chance to take it are Puljujarvi and Puustinen as they have both NHL and Penguins experience.
While it could be disappointing that Cody Glass might not start the season on the NHL roster, his numbers from the last two seasons do not jump off the page - in a total of 113 games, he has 20 goals and 28 assists for 48 points.
Sure, Puustinen continues to show promise but only managed 5 goals and 20 points across 52 games last season.
As for the rest, McGroarty, Broz, Koivunen, and Ponmoarev, there's next to no NHL experience.
What am I getting at here?
Two things: first, for players like McGroarty, Broz, Koivunen, and Ponmoarev, it's not the worst thing for them to play in the minor leagues for a while. Their developments are better served by playing meaningful minutes rather than playing 10, eight, or fewer minutes in a limited role. The more playing time the better.
Second, for Glass, Puustinen, and Puljujarvi, the challenge is to earn the spot. Hat trick aside, Puljujarvi showed why he could be a valuable bottom-six forward last season through a dogged forecheck and willingness to do the little things. That continued in the first preseason game.
Glass looked solid in preseason action and Puustinen will likely get his shot this weekend when the Penguins head to Detroit and Ontario.
This also is why the youth movement is important. On the surface, we want to tell ourselves they're here to immediately play. While that would be nice and help this team, it's also to push the veterans. It's to make them feel uncomfortable and look over their shoulders knowing that someone is coming for their spot.
A youth movement for youth's sake is a fool's errand, but bringing them in for both the short and long-term growth of the franchise is the way it is done.
But, like so many other things in sports, it only works if it works.
The next couple of weeks will show if the young guns are ready for prime time or if the veterans can fend them off for a little while longer.