Penguins A to Z: Colton Sceviour can offer more than he showed in 2020-21
With the Penguins in the midst of their offseason, the Tribune-Review is looking at all 48 players currently under NHL contracts to the organization in alphabetical order, from mid-level prospect Niclas Almari to top-six winger Jason Zucker.
Colton Sceviour
Position: Right winger
Shoots: Right
Age: 32
Height: 6-foot
Weight: 190 pounds
2019-20 NHL statistics: 46 games, 10 points (five goals, five assists)
Contract: Third year of a three-year contract with a salary cap hit of $1.2 million. Pending unrestricted free agent this offseason
Acquired: Trade, Sept. 24, 2020
2020-21 season: When the Penguins acquired defenseman Mike Matheson from the Florida Panthers in exchange for forward Patric Hornqvist last offseason, they had to take on Sceviour to make it work on the Panthers’ end in regards to the salary cap as well as the NHL’s limits on contracts.
Seemingly little more than a slightly pricey throw-in, Sceviour did quite a bit to combat that notion by collecting two goals in his first four games as a member of the Penguins while primarily being deployed on the fourth line.
Any hopes that Sceviour would maintain any kind of prolonged level of production quickly evaporated, however, as he was a healthy scratch by the ninth game of the season on Jan. 30.
Sceviour mostly labored through an unremarkable season with the Penguins. While he did play in 46 of a possible 56 games due in part to a hideous outbreak of injuries to other forwards on the roster, it would be a stretch to say Sceviour made much of an impact while he was in the lineup.
Perhaps the low point of the season came on March 6 when he was placed on the NHL’s list of absences related to covid-19 related protocol. Two days later, he was placed on waivers and cleared.
Undeterred, Sceviour pressed on, filling out the Penguins’ bottom-six ranks while other forwards recuperated from various maladies. His high point of 2020-21 came during a 5-2 road win when he scored the Penguins’ first two goals of the contest.
Going through waivers again on April 10, Sceviour dressed for the Penguins’ final 18 games of the regular season. In the postseason, he was a healthy scratch for all six of the Penguins’ games during a first-round loss to the New York Islanders.
The future: There are few contracts the Penguins are eager to get away from than Sceviour’s. By all accounts, he was a complete professional and a good citizen in the room through less-than-ideal circumstances. But a seven-figure salary for a player who only averaged 9:35 of ice time per game – a career-low – is far too much for a team bumping its head against the salary cap.
The timing to have a poor season was hardly ideal for Sceviour as the NHL is dealing with the financial realities of a pandemic. With the salary cap remaining flat at $81.5 million for the second consecutive year, he’ll likely be entertaining a lot of offers near the league minimum which is increasing to $750,000 for next season.
Considering Sceviour did not have the benefit of a true training camp last season, it’s probably safe to assume he has more to offer than what he displayed in 2020-21. While not overly physical, Sceviour is an adequate skater who can be a stable entity on the fourth line. Capable of playing center or wing, Sceviour can also provide something on the penalty kill as he averaged 1:21 of short-handed ice time last season.
Sceviour should be able to easily find work this offseason. It just won’t be with the Penguins.
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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