Rickard Rakell feels right on the right side of the Penguins' top line

It’s probably a lazy comparison given they come from the same part of the world.

That said, the Pittsburgh Penguins are again experimenting with putting a Swedish player on Sidney Crosby’s right wing.

But Rickard Rakell is no Patric Hornqvist.

“Not too many people are like Patric Hornqvist,” coach Mike Sullivan said of the former Penguins forward. “Patric brings a unique skillset. I mean that with the highest compliment.

“(Rakell) is a different player.”

There really isn’t an apples-to-apples comparison to be made with Rakell to any of Crosby’s previous right wingers because he can do a little bit of everything.

He doesn’t have the comet-worthy speed of Pascal Dupuis or Bryan Rust, but he has plenty of quickness to excel in the modern game.

And Rakell isn’t as crafty as a veteran like Bill Guerin was in helping the Penguins win the Stanley Cup in 2009. But Rakell certainly has the cliched “high hockey IQ.”

Rakell certainly is not as blunt or belligerent as Hornqvist, as vexing of a player as you’ll find in any era of the NHL, though Rakell is definitely capable of going to the net and finding offense.

The diminutive Conor Sheary (5-foot-9, 179 pounds) found success with Crosby through creativity and slick skating. Rakell, at 6-1 and 195 pounds, has far greater physical gifts and probably more skill than Sheary ever could boast.

Finally, it’s likely Crosby never will play with a better pure talent on either wing than what he was able to enjoy for a handful of weeks during the 2008 playoffs in the form of Marian Hossa, a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame who possessed a dazzling and complete set of skills in all areas of the ice.

Rakell, 29, is no Hossa. But he does do just a little bit of everything at a pretty high level and might be the most versatile right winger Crosby has had on his line.

“Billy (Guerin) will be (mad) if he hears that,” Crosby quipped in response to that suggestion. “(Rakell has) got great hands and patience. Knowing that, knowing that he likes to hold on to the puck and make plays, sometimes that means maybe not going to support him. It means getting open near the net and finding areas there. He’s just got really good hands, good vision. And he scores, too. He can shoot it.”

A right-handed shot who also can play the left wing, Rakell also has confidence. He knows he can’t just be the third wheel on a line with Crosby or another All-Star in Jake Guentzel on the left wing.

“Just because they are who they are, I’ve still got to have that drive,” Rakell said. “I’ve got to feel like I can be the guy to make the play for our line sometimes and not just rely on them. I feel like that introduces a problem (if) you just give the puck, give the puck and think that they’re going to solve every problem in the world. They usually do, but I feel like I can bring something to the mix as well. That’s the biggest thing for me is to just try to do what I’m good at and just play with them.”

After acquiring Rakell at the trade deadline in March last season, the Penguins experimented with Rakell on a line with Crosby and Guentzel down the stretch of the regular season. According to Natural Stat Trick, the trio logged 91 minutes, 10 seconds of common five-on-five ice time out of a possible 18 games. During that time, they were on the ice for nine goals for and only one against.

Rakell is hoping to make that a more permanent assignment this season.

“I’m just trying to listen to him,” Rakell said. “Ask a lot of questions. I watch him in practice, just small things that I can pick up and use in my game. Just learn from him. That was probably what I learned last year, just try to read off of each other and play confident with the puck. Just try to follow (Crosby’s and Guentzel’s) lead to do what it takes to win hockey games.”

The prospect of Rakell remaining with the Penguins after last season was hardly a guarantee. As one of several pending unrestricted free agents for the team, Rakell, as talented as he is, was not the leading concern of management as franchise pillars such as Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin needed to be re-signed as well.

“I knew all along, even going into the summer, that (Letang and Malkin) were the top priority and for obvious reasons,” Rakell said. “I just tried to stay calm. I had other things going on with (a newborn) baby and all of that. But in the back of my head, I thought it could get done. So I wasn’t really worried.”

As it was, Rakell signed a six-year contract extension that carries a salary cap hit of $5 million on July 11, two days before the NHL’s free-agent signing period opening. The way he explains it, leaving the Penguins wasn’t really a major consideration for him.

“This was for sure my No. 1 option to want to come back here,” said Rakell. “It’s such a great organization, great group of people, group of players. This was the team that I wanted to be with to feel like I could develop and get better and ultimately, I want to win. I was super excited to get it done. Really excited to be here.”

Management seems happy with his presence as well.

“He’s versatile in the sense that he’s really skilled with the puck. He has good playmaking ability. He has good offensive instincts. He’s great in tight areas,” Sullivan said. “He also has the ability to go to the net. And he’s got a good stick around the net. He plays the game with courage, and you have to be brave to go there because usually when you go there, you’re going to get cross checked.”

And again, while the comparisons between Rakell and Hornqvist are limited, Rakell showed an affinity for finding goals near the opposing crease, albeit more with a sense of strong timing as opposed to just pure strength, a la Hornqvist.

“I like being in front of the net and being in the battles,” Rakell said. “When I’m playing at my best, I’m being strong on the puck and twisting and turning and trying to beat my guy one-on-one. And being there (at the net) to jam in some ugly goals as well. That, I feel like, is part of my game.”

“He has real strong body,” said Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson, a fellow Swede and close friend of Rakell dating to their days as prospects with the Ducks. “And he’s big out there. He’s bigger than you think. He uses his physical side in different ways. He can make some hits sometimes but he’s so strong on the puck, that’s how he shows his physical side.”

Physically, Rakell had to fine tune his body, albeit with some trial and error, during his time with the Ducks. Rakell admitted his weight fluctuated by as much as 35 pounds during his final seasons with the Ducks before finding what he described as the ideal weight he currently has at 195 pounds.

“I just like to play around, see what works best for me,” Rakell said. “Always try to get better. I tried to play at 220 (pounds), not overweight but more muscle in my upper body. Then I played at 185 (pounds). I just tried different types of diets to see where I feel I’m playing my best game. I feel like I’ve come to the conclusion that somewhere right in between there is probably the best where I feel like I have the quickness but at the same time, I’m heavier on the puck or stronger on the puck. I feel like that’s the type of game that I want to play for sure.”

And the Penguins seem to think Rakell plays the right game for the right wing on their top line.

“He can stickhandle in a phone booth,” Sullivan said. “He can really make plays in tight areas and he tends to be able to make something out of nothing. That’s the one element of (Rakell’s) game that has really jumped out at me. That goes without saying when he plays with Sid and Jake … when he brings that dimension, he just adds just another level to that line that he plays on.”

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