Can the Penguins Fill Their Needs From Within?

I’ve already addressed the fact that, due to salary cap constraints, the Penguins may have difficulty swinging any significant deals or landing any impactful free agents over the summer.

That includes inking our own free agents to new deals. Assuming Colton Sceviour (UFA) and Mark Jankowski (RFA) walk, the Pens have roughly $3.2 million of available space according to CapFriendly to sign RFAs Zach Aston-Reese, Teddy Blueger and Radim Zohorna and UFAs Cody Ceci, Frederick Gaudreau and Evan Rodrigues.

That ain’t enough to bring all of them back. Not nearly enough. And while there’s hope GM Ron Hextall might be able to swing deals for, say, Jason Zucker ($5.5M) and/or Marcus Pettersson ($4.083M) to clear additional cap space, obviously there’s no guarantee at this stage.

So what if the worst case scenario plays out and the Pens stay reasonably tight to the cap. Would we be able to fill some of our stated needs from within the organization? As a refresher, we’re looking to add size and physically both up front and on ‘d’ and help between the pipes, either in the form of a starter or a 1A guy.

The answer? Sorta kinda.

Forwards

The Pens actually have a fairly promising crop of forwards waiting in the wings (no pun intended). While none (with a lone exception) project to be a star, all could be solid contributors while adding some size and gristle to the mix.

Radim Zohorna (lw-c)—Pressed into service when injuries rocked the forwards, the towering Czech impressed with his hockey IQ, skating and hands. Nor was his success limited to his eight-game cameo with the Pens. “Big Z” averaged a point-per-game during 33 combined contests with BK Mlada Boleslav of the Czech Extraliga and the Baby Pens. While the hulking 25-year-old isn’t overly physical, his sheer size (6’6” 220) and surprising speed could create match-up nightmares for the opposition. If Zucker, Blueger or Jared McCann depart, Zohorna could be a prime candidate for full-time duty.

Samuel Poulin (lw-rw)—Originally touted as a power forward, Poulin may not be the bruising physical presence the Pens covet. But he’s an honest two-way player who brings size (6’2” 213) and a willingness to do the dirty work in the corners and along the boards. Although his production slipped from his very impressive 2019-20 campaign (32 goals and 77 points in 46 games with Sherbrooke) Sam possesses a scoring touch, at least at the junior level. A left-hand shot capable of playing either wing, he’s been projected as a solid third-liner with upside potential.

Nathan Legare (rw)—A true diamond in the rough, Legare has a chance to be a special player. A spitfire with hands, the 6’0” 206-pounder plays a spirited, aggressive style to go with a wicked shot and lightning release. Things you just can’t teach. In addition to his elite finishing skills and killer instincts, he forechecks and backchecks with gusto, thanks in part to improved skating. Perhaps the natural successor to Patric Hornqvist as the team’s emotional power plant. A word of caution: coach Mike Sullivan must guard against burying Legare on the fourth line, as he is wont to do with kids.

Others who could possibly carve out a spot? Anthony Angello (c-rw) proved he could effectively handle fourth-line duty at the NHL level while providing size (6’5” 210), a physical element (51 hits in 19 games) and solid defensive play (a lone 5v5 goal against). He’s a good skater to boot and will drop the gloves if pushed, although he’s not necessarily an accomplished fighter.

Right wing Kasper Bjorkqvist (6’1” 211) is reputed to play a power game as well. He tallied 26 points in 44 games for KooKoo in Finland’s SM-liiga. Portsider Drew O’Connor washed out in his first taste of big-league action, but he caught fire with the Baby Pens (19 points in 20 games). Although not physical in the least, he is large (6’3” 200).

Don’t overlook center Jordy Bellerive. The feisty former junior hockey scoring star overcame burns to his hands in a potentially career-ending camp fire accident and made significant strides with the Baby Pens in ’20-21 (10 goals in 29 games).

Defense

On the blue line it’s an entirely different story. Pretty much Pierre-Olivier Joseph or bust.

To digress, on an organizational level the Pens have cultivated defensemen like Cam Lee and Josh Maniscalco, who fit Sullivan’s move-the-puck-to-the-forwards mold almost to a fault. There’s precious little size and even less snarl.

Hextall applied a Band-Aid by claiming former Flyer Mark Friedman off waivers. While Friedman plays with an edge, he weighs 185 pounds and generally got the worst of physical confrontations during his five games with the Pens, one resulting in a concussion. Juuso Riikola is a surprisingly solid hitter for his size (189 pounds), but it’s hard to judge where he stands following a lost season (he skated in only two games).

Back to Joseph. He has the potential to develop into a strong all-around defender. He’s blessed with a long, powerful skating stride and sees the ice very well. His passes are crisp and sure. P-O’s still filling out his rangy 6’2” frame (185 pounds at last count) but he delivered arguably the hardest hit of the season to then-Bruin Anders Bjork and should be able to add a physical dimension to his game…if encouraged.

There’s work to be done on his d-zone coverage for sure. But I think he’s a better all-around option than Pettersson.

Goal

Cue the crickets. Watch the tumbleweeds blow down Main Street. There’s no immediate help organizationally between the pipes. Alex D’Orio posted solid numbers for the Baby Pens (2.18 GAA in 11 games) but he’s pinballed between Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Wheeling during his brief career and it’s a huge stretch to say he’s big-league material.

While promising, recent draft picks Joel Blomqvist and Calle Clang are likely years away.