Penguins Predictions: Which call-up will play the most NHL games?
It was repeated often enough to become a motto of sorts: The goal for the Pittsburgh Penguins as they reshaped their roster this summer was to become younger, faster and harder to play against.
One of the reasons the Penguins needed to get younger was that they didn’t do a very good job of it last season.
Only three Penguins players – Juuso Riikola, Teddy Blueger and Adam Johnson – made their NHL debuts last season. Just six teams in the league had fewer players make debuts.
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins call-up who played the most NHL games, meanwhile, was 27-year-old fourth-line winger Garrett Wilson.
Looking at those facts, it’s hard to conclude the Penguins were making any concerted effort to get younger.
The Penguins have made a series of moves this summer that will make them younger in the future. For one, they acquired 20-year-old defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph from Arizona in the Phil Kessel trade. For another, they kept their first-round pick to select Samuel Poulin and traded up into the third round to choose Nathan Legare. Just like that, they added two goal-scoring threats to their top five prospect list.
Those players are probably a couple of years away from playing in the NHL, however, and the same applies to top defensive prospect Calen Addison.
In the short term, the Penguins will probably need contributions from a handful of players on the NHL-AHL bubble if they want to return to championship contention. A wave of good, young NHL players with fresh legs and abundant enthusiasm can go a long way.
THE QUESTION
Which Wilkes-Barre/Scranton call-up will play the most games this season?
A. Zach Trotman
Trotman is 28, so he won’t make the Penguins younger, but he’s the most dependable call-up option on defense. He’ll be needed. He was effective when Kris Letang and Brian Dumoulin went down with injuries late in the year.
B. David Warsofsky
Warsofsky is a year older than Trotman, so he doesn’t fit the idea of a youth movement either, but he’ll be the most dependable left-handed call-up option on the blue line.
C. Kasper Bjorkqvist
Offseason shoulder surgery is a setback for Bjorkqvist, but it’s reasonable to predict his NHL debut won’t be far off. He’s a workout warrior with an NHL body. He should be a bottom-six winger for a long time once he earns a spot.
D. Oula Palve
Nearly a point-per-game scorer in Finland last season, the 27-year-old Palve wasn’t signed as a free agent in April to round out the AHL roster. He’ll play NHL games at some point. It’s just a matter of time.
E. Emil Larmi
Larmi will start the season third on the goalie depth chart at best, but the 22-year-old has some serious potential. He won a championship in the Finnish league last season and was a star at development camp in June.
F. Field
Joseph Blandisi is a good energy-line option. … Adam Johnson has world-class speed. … If Thomas Di Pauli can stay healthy, he’s a good penalty killer and a great skater. … Jordy Bellerive has legit goal-scoring potential. … Sam Lafferty is a versatile forward coming off a strong rookie season.
THE PREDICTION
It would be sexier to predict Bjorkqvist or Bellerive will find a top-nine role, but it’s best to think conservatively here. Due to injuries, most NHL teams will need nine or 10 defensemen every year. Trotman, therefore, is the best bet to see regular call-up work.
Jonathan Bombulie is the TribLive assistant sports editor. A Greensburg native, he was a hockey reporter for two decades, covering the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for 17 seasons before joining the Trib in 2015 and covering the Penguins for four seasons, including Stanley Cup championships in 2016-17. He can be reached at jbombulie@triblive.com.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.