Jared McCann slots into injured Sidney Crosby’s role as Penguins’ 1st-line center
Jared McCann said “no” not once, not twice, but three times. The Pittsburgh Penguins 23-year-old center wanted no part of viewing his recent promotion to the top line to be translated that he was taking over the role of Sidney Crosby.
“No, no … No,” McCann said after practice Monday at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry. “I don’t look at it like that. He’s a guy you can’t replace. Sorry.”
Crosby might be irreplaceable in the figurative sense, but in the literal world, with Crosby out because of an undisclosed injury, somebody has to center the Penguins’ No. 1 line between Jake Guentzel and, in this instance, Alex Galchenyuk. Might as well be McCann, who last month was central in the efforts to pick up the slack when their other all-world center, Evgeni Malkin, was out because of injury.
“You know he’s a good player” coach Mike Sullivan said of McCann, “and he seems to respond really well when we put him in the middle. He’s played really well there. I think it’s a test of depth, not just on our roster but within the organization as well. And Jared is a player that when he’s been given an opportunity to play a more significant role, he’s responded in a positive way — and so we are going to need him to do that (Tuesday).”
The Penguins play at the New York Rangers on Tuesday. Crosby has been ruled out for that game and is not with the team on their trip east that also includes a game Friday at the New Jersey Devils.
#Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said Sidney Crosby will not play in Tuesday’s game at the New York Rangers because of an undisclosed injury https://t.co/0LxWojLVuv
— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) November 11, 2019
“He’s a good 200-foot player with a really good shot,” Guentzel said of McCann. “A really smart player. He plays fast and he gets in on the forecheck, so he’s definitely a guy I like playing with.”
McCann had been playing some on the right wing with Crosby and Guentzel in recent weeks, so he is no stranger to the No. 1 line. Playing center, though, adds a new dimension.
“I played center for so long, I think it’s not going to be a problem,” said McCann, who was acquired from the Florida Panthers in February. “It’s something I take pride in, being a versatile player, and I feel like if that’s what I team needs, then whatever I can do to help the team, I’ll do.”
Chris Adamski is a TribLive reporter who has covered primarily the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2014 following two seasons on the Penn State football beat. A Western Pennsylvania native, he joined the Trib in 2012 after spending a decade covering Pittsburgh sports for other outlets. He can be reached at cadamski@triblive.com.
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