Jason Zucker restores Penguins' talent, depth at left wing
Having barely been in Western Pennsylvania for 48 hours, Jason Zucker still was getting used to his surroundings by the time he practiced with the Pittsburgh Penguins for the first time Thursday.
How to get to the arena in Uptown. What roads to take to the practice facility up north.
Most importantly, when and where can he see his family again?
“Just trying to figure some stuff out,” Zucker said. “Trying to get my family out here this weekend to check out some stuff. It will be great to have them in but trying to figure out some details.”
Zucker is already in a familiar realm with his new team.
The left wing.
Having played — by his estimate — 99% of his career on the left side, he lined up to the larboard side of center Sidney Crosby during his Penguins debut Tuesday, a 2-1 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning at PPG Paints Arena.
Presumably, a winger of any dexterity would enjoy the prospect of playing on a line with one of the greatest players in league history.
But Zucker sees quite a bit of unique potential just from the standpoint that he and Crosby are southpaws.
“The advantages are passes that are lefty-lefty are typically easier to shoot off of,” Zucker said. “Hopefully, we can use that to our advantage using our speed down the left side. Making some passes down the middle or to the far side, lefty-lefty is a little bit of a better pass.”
Zucker’s presence addressed a need at left wing that was created when All-Star forward Jake Guentzel was sidelined with a severe right shoulder injury Dec. 30. Guentzel’s absence, which is expected to last four to six months, prompted the Penguins to pursue a top-six winger.
At that time, general manager Jim Rutherford said he felt he had enough depth with his remaining forwards to fill in on the left wing, that he could pursue a winger of any persuasion, left or right.
But a concussion suffered by Dominik Kahun on Jan. 19 made that pool of forwards capable of playing left wing a bit shallower.
“It’s critical for us,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “That’s one of the reasons why Jim went out and acquired Jason is because we felt we need help in that area of our game right now. When the time comes when we do get healthy, it just gives us that much more depth and that many more options. He’s going to be an important player for us.”
Zucker’s arrival restores that depth on the left side and frees management from relying on the likes of Bryan Rust or Dominik Simon, who are capable of playing left wing but probably are more comfortable at right wing.
“It just gives us more options,” Sullivan said. “It gives us one more guy that we can put in that situation that allows us to do other things with (Rust) or with Dom Simon to try to help create the balance that we need, that we’re looking through our lineup so we can try to gain a competitive advantage.”
Zucker put up five shots on five attempts Monday.
By his own critique after the game, he said he “didn’t play very well.”
On Thursday, he suggested it won’t take much time for him to get familiar with how his new employer operates.
“I knew they played at a high tempo,” Zucker said. “As the game went on, I think my third period was, tempo-wise, better than my first and second. A lot of it is just trying to make sure that throughout (the Penguins’) system, they’re reading plays a lot quicker and trying to get out of the zone quicker and using that tempo and pace. Whereas in Minnesota, everything was a little bit different the way we broke out the puck and different plays.
“From Game 1 to Game 5 will be a big adjustment. It will be great.”
Note: This story has been updated to reflect the date of Jake Guentzel’s injury.
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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