Trying to define and quantify the Penguins’ “championship window” has been a popular pastime lately, as the players in the core group begin to approach middle age.
Unprompted, Evgeni Malkin, 33, brought up the finite nature of his profession on the first day of Penguins’ training camp and mentioned that, “We have a couple, maybe two, three, four chances to win again.”
Patric Hornqvist, 32, told the Post-Gazette, “I think the window starts for sure to slide a little bit. We’re starting to get older. But at the same time, we still have at least three, four good years in us.”
And coach Mike Sullivan addressed the aging elephant in the room by saying, “They’re older, but they’re certainly not old. That’s a big difference.”
Okay, so we can put that storyline to bed now, right?
Eh, maybe not. On Sunday, following the Penguins’ third training camp practice, Sidney Crosby took his turn addressing the question.
“I don’t think any of us can predict that, you know?” Crosby said. “Every year, there’s so much that happens. Anything can happen through the course of a year. We probably weren’t talking about a championship team in December of ’16, but we found a way to win, right?
“I think you just approach it a year at a time and you prepare to be at your best. As a team, you want to win the ultimate prize every year, no matter how old you are. I think you approach every year the same. It’s up to everyone else to decide what the window is and speculate on that.”
New players add depth/versatility
Get younger. Get faster. Get tougher to play against.
Those were the three main goals when the Penguins began their long offseason.
It remains to be seen how well the Penguins accomplished these goals by acquiring, most notably, Alex Galcheyuk, Brandon Tanev and Dominik Kahun. But early on in camp it looks like the Penguins also did something else with their offseason moves: They got more depth and versatility, especially up front.
Kahun got his first crack at playing on Crosby’s right wing. But he can play every forward position and can play up and down the lineup, like he did in Chicago.
Tanev, a left-handed shooter who signed as a free agent, is playing on his off wing on Malkin’s right. But he can add value as a top-six player or a bottom-six player in a variety of different positions. Galcheyuk played center earlier in his career and is lining up on Malkin’s left wing.
The additions have knocked a handful of veterans down a few lines, including Zach Aston-Reese, Brian Rust and Jared McCann, which only adds to the depth and versatility of the Penguins’ roster.
“I think a lot of guys can play in a lot of different roles, different positions,” Crosby said. “You’ve got guys who played a lot of both center and wing. You know that throughout the year a lot can happen. It’s important to have comfort levels at different positions.”
Travel roster announced
The Penguins announced their travel roster for Monday’s exhibition game at Buffalo. Crosby’s line and Malkin’s line will both be staying in Pittsburgh. The players who will be attending are:
Forwards: Andrew Agozzino, Zach Aston-Reese, Teddy Blueger, Ryan Haggerty, Adam Johnson, Sam Lafferty, Nathan Legare, Sam Miletic, Oula Palve, Samuel Poulin, Brian Rust, Dominik Simon.
Defensemen: Calen Addison, Kevin Czuczman, Jack Johnson, Pierre-Olivier Joseph, John Marino, Juuso Riikola, Chad Ruhwedel.
The goaltenders are Casey DeSmith and Tristan Jarry.
We are… [playing at] Penn State
Chase Berger was probably at least a little bit disappointed when he learned that he won’t be one of the Penguins prospects traveling to Penn State on Monday.
Berger set a PSU record during his four-year career by playing in 154 games without missing a single one. He has some great memories of playing in State College, but nothing tops his first game as a freshman.
“I remember standing on the blue line and looking up,” Berger said. “They’ve got the student section called the Roar Zone. You’re doing the National Anthem. They’ve all got their jerseys on, American flags. It’s a sight that I have glued in the back of my mind. It’s honestly overwhelming.”
Penn State’s ice hockey program has taken off in just a few short years.
Terrence Pegula, a billionaire hockey fan and PSU alum, donated more than $100 million to build the new ice arena and jump-start the program. The university subsequently elevated ice hockey from a club sport to a Division I program before the 2012 season and joined the Big Ten Conference before the 2013-14 season.
By the 2016-17 season, the Nittany Lions were ranked No. 1 nationally for the first time in program history, a precipitous climb to the top for a new program.
“Even when I got on campus, I didn’t know how good we’d be,” Berger said. “I think that the culture there is really competitive. Kind of a never-back-down, never intimidated by anyone mentality. I think that’s the reason we’ve come so far, so quick. Now it seems like it’s a hot spot for high school prospects.”
After his four-year career with PSU, during which he racked up 118 points (51 goals and 67 assists), Berger signed with the Penguins as a free agent. The 6-foot, 194-pound center played in six games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton last year and is likely to begin the season with the AHL club again.
Even though he’s a longshot to make the team, he said he’s approaching this camp with the same mentality he learned in State College.
“I like to play with a chip on my shoulder,” Berger said. “Obviously, there are some unbelievable players that I’m playing against now. I’m just trying to control what I can. I’m not intimidated by anyone, but respect everyone as well.”
Mike DeFabo: mdefabo@post-gazette.com or on Twitter @MikeDeFabo.
First Published: September 15, 2019, 10:13 p.m.