Being back with the Penguins 'amazing' for Dominik Simon

You might have been surprised this summer when the Penguins brought back Dominik Simon.

If so, you weren’t alone.

Dominik Simon was too.

“At first when I heard it, it was a shock,” Simon said. “I didn’t see it coming. But it’s amazing. Hard to describe.”

There were plenty of descriptions for what the versatile forward offered the Penguins during his first tenure with the organization between 2016-20. Not all of them were complimentary.

But any and all cavils came from outside the organization. Simon was seemingly a universally popular player with his teammates as well as management. Limited salary cap space and a need for true centers prompted the team to cut him loose as a free agent in the 2020 offseason.

After spending the 2020-21 season with the Calgary Flames, Simon rejoined the Penguins this offseason on the day free agency opened (July 28), agreeing to a one-year, two-way contract.

“I was pumped to see all the guys (again),” Simon said. “I was just looking forward to being here.”

Simon’s first stint with the Penguins ended in an ugly fashion. A left shoulder injury he suffered during a road game against the San Jose Sharks on Feb. 29 required surgery in April. Unable to suit up for the team during the NHL’s postseason tournament — which was orchestrated in August and September due to the pandemic — Simon signed with the Flames on Oct. 22 of that year.

“It was a little longer rehab than I expected,” Simon said. “After I thought I was healthy, maybe I still had a little bit in my head. I was a little bit more careful in the corners and stuff. I didn’t miss that much because of (the pandemic). That was a positive for me.”

There wasn’t much positive about his lone season in Calgary as he appeared in only 11 of a possible 66 games and failed to score any points. He spent most of the 2020-21 campaign being shuffled between the NHL roster and taxi squad in a series of paper transactions.

“I (was) practicing most of the year,” Simon said. “Played like 11 games I think, not many, in a short season. It was so much practicing. I was really excited to play games. I wasn’t in too many of them. It was more like getting into shape after surgery, after the injury.”

A fifth-round pick (No. 137 overall) of the Penguins in 2015, Simon quickly gained the trust of many of his teammates — particularly franchise Sidney Crosby — as well as his coaches after he broke through to the NHL for the first time in substantial fashion in 2017-18.

“He’s a very good playmaker, he sets up opportunities,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “A lot of our guys like to play with him because they get scoring chances when he’s on a line. That’s an indication of his ability to create.”

Simon’s limited production — he has 64 points in 173 career games with the Penguins — despite often playing with Crosby drew the ire of plenty of critics. But the Penguins’ front office, even under the stewardship of new general manager Ron Hextall, wasted little time in bringing him back.

“The thing that we’ve always had so much respect for Dom’s game is his strength on the puck,” Sullivan said. “He’s so strong on the puck, he’s really good in tight space, he’s good in the battle areas, he can play a give-and-go game. … We’re really familiar with Dominik’s game. He’s a year older, he’s just a little bit more mature. Hopefully, that will help his overall game but he’s another one of those guys that can play up and down our lineup depending on how we want to utilize him.”

Another role Simon can inhabit? Mentorship.

A native of the Czech Republic, the 27-year-old Simon has been providing guidance to fellow countryman Radim Zohorna, a 24-year-old entering his second season in North America.

“It’s so good to be here with one Czech guy,” said Zohorna, who has made significant strides in learning English compared to the 2020-21 season. “For me, it was better to be here alone because I needed to speak English. Now, If I (don’t) know something, I just ask Dom. He can figure it out. But right now, I’m so happy that he’s here.”

Simon appears pleased to be back as well.

“I know the style of play that we’re playing here,” Simon said. “I’ve been here for a longer time. Feel very comfortable with it. Wish it worked out better before. Just really like the team here, the group of guys, the staff and management.”

Notes: The Penguins assigned forward prospects Justin Almeida and Jan Drozg to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League. … The team had a scheduled day off on Tuesday.

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