How Will the Penguins’ Top Forward Prospects Fare Under Mike Sullivan?

I’ve alluded to it on several occasions in comments to other posts. This time I decided to take a leap and address it in a full-blown article.

How will the Penguins’ top forward prospects fare under coach Mike Sullivan?

The reason I’m concerned? Samuel Poulin (6’2” 213), Drew O’Connor (6’3” 200), Nathan Legare (6’0” 208), Radim Zahorna (6’5” 220) and Anthony Angello (6’5” 210) definitely don’t fit the black-and-gold mold in terms of size or style.

Or more to the point, Sullivan’s style. One that, to his credit, led to a Stanley Cup in 2016 and contributed greatly to a repeat performance the following spring.

It’s no secret the Pens’ skipper prefers speed over brawn. Indeed, fleet feet are the lifeblood of his puck-possession game. He wants mobile, stick-on-puck defensemen who can move the biscuit to the forwards at the earliest opportunity. Likewise, he prefers fast forwards who can attack in a hurry and pressure the opposition.

With the glaring exception of Evgeni Malkin and recently signed Mark Jankowski, most of the Pens’ current forwards are built for speed and cut from a compact cloth. Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel, Bryan Rust, Teddy Blueger, Brandon Tanev, Evan Rodrigues and Jason Zucker all are listed at 5’11” or 6’0” and weigh between 180 and 200 pounds. To my eye, several of those listings appear generous.

“Smurf City USA,” as Other Rick is fond of saying.

Well, the aforementioned prospects decidedly aren’t Smurfs. Nor do they possess the blazing speed Sullivan prefers.

Promising as he is, Poulin’s reputed to have a ponderous first step or two (shades of Sergei Plotnikov?). Legare’s first step is decent, but he doesn’t have a top gear. Angello and Zahorna aren’t going to win any fastest skater competitions. Among the group, only O’Connor is regarded as a plus skater.

Given his preference for speed, how will that play with Sullivan? Will he try to develop these kids? Or will he stonewall them?

It’s a legitimate concern.

As a point of reference, I decided to look at a handful of big-and-tall forwards who skated for the Pens during the Sullivan era. Only two who were considered prospects…Tom Kuhnhackl and Oskar Sundqvist.

A scorer in junior and the son of a German hockey legend, Kuhnhackl carved out a niche as a defensive specialist and penalty-killer at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. A role he continued to fill during his three seasons with the Pens.

After flashing some latent offensive skill over his first two seasons (nine goals, 31 points in 99 games) Kuhnhackl regressed in 2017-18, notching just two goals. He signed as a free agent with the Islanders and has served as a spare part under Barry Trotz.

Based on his performance on Long Island (seven goals in 64 games), I’d say Sullivan gave Kuhnhackl a fair shake.

Sundqvist, once a lock to assume Nick Bonino’s role as third-line center, tallied 20 goals for the Baby Pens in ’16-17 but obviously failed to make a lasting impression during two cameos totaling 28 games (four points, minus-4) spread over the two Cup seasons. Despite his size (6’3” 209) defensive acumen and aggressive bent, he was dealt to St. Louis for tough guy Ryan Reaves. It should be noted that Sundqvist is actually a decent skater.

Given the dearth of plus-sized prospects who’ve cut their teeth under Sullivan, I expanded my sample set to include large forwards at any stage of development…Nick Bjugstad, Eric Fehr, Derek Grant, Carter Rowney, Riley Sheahan and Reaves.

With the notable exception of Reaves (6:45 ATOI) and possibly Grant (9:02 ATOI), Sullivan gave these players ice time that reflected their role and abilities. However, none was around for very long.

In the cases of Bjugstad and Rowney, it’s hard to pin that on the coach. A fringe player with a limited upside, Rowney departed through free agency. If Bjugstad hadn’t morphed into Beau Bennett following a promising start in the ‘Burgh, he might still be skating for us.

Sheahan’s departure via trade was performance-driven. Following a solid first season with the Pens (11 goals, 32 points, 54.4 percent on faceoffs) his numbers dipped across the board in ’18-19.

With Fehr and Grant it did appear to be a matter of fit and preference. Both have heavy feet…especially the former. Fehr’s ice time dropped significantly during his second season under Sullivan before he was shipped out at the trade deadline. Grant, who’d notched 12 goals the season before he arrived, never gained any traction while he was here. He was dealt to Anaheim for Joe Blandisi…a Sully-type player…after just 25 games of limited use. For the record, Grant scored 15 goals last season.

And Reaves? In my mind, an instance where Sullivan displayed a clear-cut bias. In only his third game with the black and gold, “Reavo” delivered seven hits against Nashville, pounded out decisions over Austin Watson and Cody McLeod and, for good measure, roughed up long-time nemesis Scott Hartnell. He also scored a goal and earned star of the game honors…all in a paltry 6:23 of ice time.

During what amounted to a five-month layover in the Steel City, Reaves was afforded double-digit ice time only three times. Sullivan never gave him a chance to show what he could do.

While none of this is conclusive, at the very least it raises a caution flag. And I think GM Jim Rutherford will need to keep a close eye on Sullivan regarding how he handles these kids.

The team’s future could be at stake.