Including Tuesday afternoon, Jake Guentzel has been on the scene for each of the Penguins’ last two practices in Cranberry.
But rather than sporting a no-contact sweater like he did last Friday or over the weekend in Halifax, Guentzel was operating at full capacity at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex, per coach Mike Sullivan. It marked the first day of Guentzel being a full go with his teammates following offseason surgery on his right ankle.
“I feel great,” Guentzel said after practice. “It's obviously nice to be out with the team, the guys again and just to see the faces and be out with the new guys, that was fun. So, exciting day for sure and just the first step.”
Team president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas said in August shortly after Guentzel’s procedure was completed that the team’s leading scorer last season was expected to miss about the first five games of the 2023-24 campaign.
His rehabilitation process from the injury has gone quite smoothly and quickly, though, raising questions as to whether Guentzel might not be out for as long or miss any regular season games altogether. Guentzel downplayed the potential of that development coming to fruition.
“It's too early to tell. It's kind of a wait-and-see,” Guentzel said when asked if he was ahead of schedule. “Obviously, just got to wait and see what happens and it’s day by day.”
Guentzel confirmed to reporters that he was injured during the 2022-23 regular season. His right ankle was wrapped in ice after blocking a shot in a March game against the Colorado Avalanche.
Guentzel still skated in 78 games last season and even tried to play in Da Beauty League, a popular semi-professional summer league for NHL players. But once it became clear that Guentzel’s ankle was still giving him problems, he and the team elected for surgery over the summer.
“It obviously just didn't heal properly the way we thought it was gonna,” Guentzel said. “So, kind of decided last minute to go this route and now we're here. So, it's just kind of hoping for the best.”
Harkins near home
Forward Jansen Harkins, claimed off waivers from the Winnipeg Jets on Monday afternoon, is now quite close to his birthplace, hailing from Cleveland. But Harkins lived along the banks of Lake Erie for just six months before moving to Vancouver, Canada, where he spent the rest of his childhood.
It’s a bit more comprehensible that Harkins got into the sport growing up in British Columbia, but it didn’t hurt that his father, Todd, was a pro player who skated in 48 NHL games.
“My dad and my uncles both played. Being from Cleveland, it wasn't a very popular sport,” Harkins said. “My grandpa played football. I think their neighbor growing up was a hockey player, and that kind of was a coincidence. So, luckily for me, they started playing hockey and now I get to be here in this room and doing what I love.”
The 6-foot-2, 197-pound Harkins was drafted by the Jets in 2015 and has spent most of the last four seasons playing in Winnipeg. But a year removed from setting NHL career highs in games, goals and assists in the 2021-22 campaign, Harkins was relegated mostly to AHL contests with the Manitoba Moose last season.
Harkins is excited about the opportunity at hand, one in which he’s vying for a bottom-six forward spot, as he adjusts to life with a new organization.
“My goal is to play in the NHL, and I think I am definitely a good enough player to be here,” Harkins said. “So, just trying to come in and prove what I can do.”
Harkins a season ago showcased his scoring prowess in the AHL, notching 25 goals in 44 games, a stat Sullivan was quick to point out. Sullivan also noted that Harkins skates well and has good size, which could come in handy in the pursuit game.
Should the scoring potential he demonstrated in Manitoba come to the forefront in camp, it could benefit Harkins’ cause for making the club.
“He’s shown an ability to score goals in the American League level, and we'll see if potentially that could translate,” Sullivan said. “He's one of those guys that are going to compete for those spots that are open right now.”
Joseph injured
While nearly every player from Monday’s preseason game against the Ottawa Senators was on hand for practice, Pierre-Olivier Joseph was not. The 24-year-old defenseman is day-to-day with what Sullivan labeled a lower-body injury.
After Monday’s contest, Joseph told reporters that he had been hit by a shot from his older brother, Mathieu. If Joseph is unable to go by the start of the regular season come Oct. 10, it’d open the opportunity for either Ryan Shea or Ty Smith, both left-shot defensemen, to crack the opening night roster. Xavier Ouellet, recalled from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Tuesday evening, is another left-shot defenseman who could make a run for that spot.
Around the boards
The Penguins recalled three other players from Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday morning in Smith and forwards Avery Hayes and Rem Pitlick.
Both Pitlick and Smith successfully cleared waivers last Thursday, allowing the team to retain them. Hayes, meanwhile, is in the first year of a two-year contract with the Baby Pens.
Andrew Destin: adestin@post-gazette.com and Twitter @AndrewDestin1
First Published: October 3, 2023, 7:39 p.m.
