Penguins A to Z: Zach Trotman entrenched as 9th defenseman

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 53 individuals under NHL contract with the organization, from mid-level prospect Niclas Almari to high-profile trade acquisition Jason Zucker.

Player: Zach Trotman

Position: Defenseman

Shoots: Right

Age: 29

Height: 6-foot-3

Weight: 219 pounds

2019-20 NHL statistics: Eight games, zero points

2019-20 AHL statistics: 27 games, 14 points (four goals, 10 assists)

Contract: First year of a two-year, two-way contract with a salary cap hit of $700,000. Pending unrestricted free agent in 2021.

Acquired: Unrestricted free agent signing on July 1, 2017

This season: General manager Jim Rutherford has boasted about the depth of his defense for the better part of two years.

First and foremost, there is the top duo of Brian Dumoulin and Kris Letang.

Youngsters John Marino and Marcus Pettersson could be with the team for a decade or longer.

Then there’s the highly scrutinized pairing of veterans Jack Johnson and Justin Schultz.

Reserves Juuso Riikola and Chad Ruhwedel are more than capable when pressed into service.

But Rutherford rarely stops there. In fact, he often will go out of his way to speak about the Penguins having “nine NHL defensemen.”

Zach Trotman is the last member of the nonet.

After bringing him in on a one-year contract in 2017, then re-signing him in 2018 to another one-year deal, Rutherford displayed the faith the organization has in Trotman by extending a two-year deal to him last offseason.

His first season under that deal has been something of a disappointment, however, simply because he has been injured so much.

In training camp, Trotman suffered a core muscle injury which required surgery and kept him sidelined until Nov. 1. Once he returned to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins’ lineup, he settled into the right side of the team’s second defensive pairing.

(Video courtesy AHL)

After putting up a respectable five points (two goals, three assists) in his first eight games of the season, Trotman earned a recall Nov. 21 when injuries took a toll on blue line of the NHL roster. He appeared in five NHL games, teamed substantially with Pettersson, before being returned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Dec. 6.

Trotman suffered another injury, a concussion Dec. 13, that sidelined him for 16 games over six weeks, not returning to the AHL lineup until Jan. 24.

He was recalled again on an emergency basis Feb. 19 and appeared in three NHL games, all of which were losses during the Penguins’ hideous six-game losing streak. Trotman, like most of his teammates during that stretch, did not distinguish himself in a positive fashion.

(Video courtesy NHL)

Returned to Wilkes-Barre/Scrantonn on March 2, Trotman remained on the second pairing until the AHL halted play in mid-March.

The future: Assuming the NHL resumes play this summer, Trotman figures to be the top candidate on the blue line for a recall with the NHL presumably allowing expanded rosters.

He’s a veteran who can move the the puck up ice, the base requirement for all defensemen in the Penguins’ organization. Additionally, he’s a right shot and no team can have too many of those on the blue line.

Things figure to be status quo for Trotman in 2020-21. He’s under contract for another year and clearly has management’s trust, even if he is limited. With defensemen Justin Schultz or Juuso Riikola potentially moving on as free agents, Trotman might get a promotion of sorts as a No. 8 defenseman.

Regardless of what number might be affixed to him, his place in the organization is clear as a reserve defenseman.

Follow the Penguins all season long.