Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jake Guentzel was one of five injured players who took to the ice before the first practice sessions on the opening day of training camp at the team’s facility Thursday in Cranberry.
Sidelined following surgery to his right ankle in early August, Guentzel took to the ice — with forward Raivis Ansons and defensemen Will Butcher, Nolan Collins and Owen Pickering — and worked out with assistant coach Ty Hennes.
In August, president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas optimistically estimated Guentzel would miss the first five games of the season. On Thursday, coach Mike Sullivan indicated there has been no change to that approximation.
“That’s probably a fair assessment based on where he’s at right now,” Sullivan said. “He’s progressing. We’re encouraged by the progress that he has made.”
Last season, Guentzel, typically deployed on the left wing of the top line and the top power-play unit, was third on the team in scoring with 73 points (36 goals, 37 assists) in 78 games.
While his convalescence isn’t expected to take a great deal of time, finding someone to fill that void won’t be easy.
“He’s a difficult player to replace,” Sullivan said. “I don’t think it’s possible to replace what he brings to our team. He has such great chemistry with (forward Sidney Crosby). He’s such a dynamic offensive player. He’s just a good hockey player on both sides of the puck.”
While line combinations in training camp carry the same weight as helium, journeyman Vinnie Hinostroza skated with Crosby and Bryan Rust on a line during a scrimmage Thursday.
Pickering, one of the team’s top prospects, has been labeled as “day to day” because of an undisclosed ailment. The 19-year-old left-handed defenseman was a first-round pick (No. 21 overall) in 2022.
Ansons, Butcher and Collins remain sidelined indefinitely.
Entering his second professional season, Ansons, a fifth-round pick (No. 149 overall), still is recovering from an undisclosed injury from last season.
A free agent signing in July who agreed to a one-year, two-way contract in July, Butcher is dealing with an undisclosed ailment.
Collins, a sixth-round pick (No. 167) in 2022, is recuperating from unspecified wrist surgery this past offseason.
