Penguins A to Z: Patric Hornqvist isn't hard to predict
While the NHL is on hold because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Tribune-Review will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 55 individuals under NHL contract with the organization, from mid-level prospect Niclas Almari to high-profile trade acquisition Jason Zucker.
Player: Patric Hornqvist
Position: Right winger
Shoots: Right
Age: 33
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 189 pounds
2019-20 NHL statistics: 52 games, 32 points (17 goals, 15 assists)
Contract: Second year of a five-year contract with a salary cap hit of $5.3 million. Pending unrestricted free agent in 2023.
Acquired: Trade, June 27, 2014
This season: There might not be a player in the NHL as predictable as Patric Hornqvist.
To paraphrase, Penguins coach Mike Sullivan, you know where “Horny” is going to be.
Hilarious euphemisms noted, there are few members of the Penguins who take their role as seriously as the rambunctious Hornqvist who remains one of the best net-front presence in the NHL.
Blending his acute ability to tip or redirect shots with a wanton level of obnoxiousness, Hornqvist’s propensity for aggravating an opposing goaltender is without peer.
In 2019-20, Hornqvist appeared to rebound from a difficult 2018-19 campaign which saw him struggle to score at his usual pace, thanks in part to at least two injuries. In 69 games, he had only 18 goals.
While Hornqvist did miss 17 games this season because of various leg injuries, he was able to find the cage more often and was seemingly in line to reach the 20-goal mark for the ninth time in his 12-year career before the NHL paused play.
And as has been the case throughout his career, the vast majority of Hornqvist’s goals this season came within the immediate vicinity of the crease.
(Video courtesy NHL)
As injuries forced seemingly every upright member of the roster to move up and down the lineup, Hornqvist was used on all four lines throughout the season. But by the time the NHL came to a halt in mid-March, he appeared to find a semi-permanent assignment on the third line.
The future: If the NHL’s season resumes, look for Hornqvist to return to the third line along with Jared McCann and Nick Bjugstad. Management has sought to utilize that trio since training camp, but injuries to Hornqvist and, particularly, Bjugstad have largely derailed those plans outside of a few sporadic games.
On the power play, Hornqvist figures to serve as a net-front presence, but it’s fair to wonder if he’ll be on the first or second squad as forward Jake Guentzel, who has had plenty of time to heal from a serious right shoulder injury he suffered in December, supplanted Hornqvist in that role with the first squad on the rare occasions the Penguins had a full complement of players available for that special teams unit.
If there’s anyone who could benefit from a hiatus, it’s Hornqvist who has some considerable wear and tear given his rough-and-tumble style of play. And at 33, it’s curious if he’ll serve out his entire contract in a Penguins jersey. Power forwards or net-front presences tend to wear down quicker than other players.
In the short-term, it might be difficult to forecast when the NHL will return to the ice, but it’s not hard to predict what part of the ice Hornqvist will inhabit once it does.
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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