What to watch for in Penguins training camp

The Pittsburgh Penguins are scheduled to report to training camp Wednesday with the first day of on-ice activities coming Thursday. Here are some storylines to watch:

Who goes where on the power play?

The Penguins’ power play was middle of the road last season, finishing with a conversion rate of 21.7%, 14th in the NHL.

Considering the talent it had at its disposal, it’s fair to expect better results.

Enter Erik Karlsson, one of the most offensively dynamic defensemen in league history. Acquired via trade in August, Karlsson figures to spark a lethargic unit with his skating, hockey IQ and slick skills.

But where does he go on the top power-play unit?

It’s probably safe to assume he will man the point given his acumen. But that would likely mean an eviction for defenseman Kris Letang, who has largely inhabited that station for a decade-plus.

A good bet for Letang’s relocation would be the left half wall, a ZIP code he inhabited in the early days of his career. As a right-handed shot, that role would allow him to fire one-timers.

It’s safe to assume forwards Sidney Crosby’s and Evgeni Malkin’s places on the top unit are secure. That leaves incumbents such as forwards Jake Guentzel, Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust.

Guentzel will miss at least the first five games of the season because of a right ankle injury, but, when he’s fully recovered, he provides the Penguins with a net-front presence.

As for Rakell and Rust, the power play seemed to improve slightly when Rakell replaced Rust on the top unit.

There is no shortage of options. Expect a lot of research and development with this group.

Related

• Penguins are all in on goaltender Tristan Jarry
• There isn't a wrong choice between Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang - just 2 right ones
• Ryan Graves, Marcus Pettersson lead the Penguins' left defensemen
• The Penguins are all right with Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust on the right wing
• Reilly Smith's arrival one of many changes for the Penguins' left wingers
• The Penguins are deep, but old, at center

How do the bottom-six forwards get sorted out?

A major renovation president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas undertook this offseason was the team’s bottom-six forwards.

That group largely let the team down throughout 2022-23 in its various incarnations, and, as a result, the Penguins were aggressive in bringing in new, albeit older, bodies.

Lars Eller is expected to be the prime meridian of that group as the team’s new third-line center. A defensively conscious presence, he has all the characteristics to meet the heavy demands the Penguins traditionally place on that role, even at 34.

Joining him are energy forwards Noel Acciari, 31, and Matt Nieto, 30. Both were signed to multi-year contracts this offseason with the intent of boosting the depth of the bottom-six forwards as well as the penalty kill.

Drew O’Connor, who broke through as a full-time NHLer last season; Rem Pitlick, a spare part in the trade that landed Karlsson; and Jeff Carter, one of the NHL’s oldest players at 39 are also in the mix.

Where does Ty Smith fit in?

If the salary cap weren’t a thing, Ty Smith would have spent the entire 2022-23 season on the NHL roster. Or at least started the season.

Penguins coaches were enamored by what the skilled defenseman could do and gave him prominent assignments during the 2022 preseason.

But with the Penguins facing a salary cap crunch, management had little choice but to send him to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League (AHL) as he did not require waivers for such an assignment.

After re-signing to a one-year contract this offseason, Smith is no longer “immune” to waivers, and management must find a place for him on the NHL roster (or risk losing him).

A left-handed shot, Smith would seem to be a logical candidate to compete with fellow southpaw P.O Joseph for the left side of the third pairing. But with the Penguins dealing with limited options among their right-handed defensemen — after Karlsson and Letang — Smith could get a long look on the starboard side of the third pairing, a role he assumed for a handful of games last season.

Where is Sam Poulin’s development?

About 11 months ago, Sam Poulin came close to making the Penguins’ NHL roster out of training camp.

A first-round pick (No. 21 overall) in 2019, he showed significant development as a professional and was one of the final cuts from training camp.

Then, life got in the way.

In December, he embarked on a leave of absence to attend to his mental health, returning to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins’ lineup in March.

Poulin’s decision to take the steps necessary to ensure he is a healthy individual, physically and emotionally, was roudly praise.

At the same time, his hiatus did force something of a reset on his development arc.

The raw skills are there for Poulin to be a viable power forward as a center at the NHL. He is capable of winning physical battles in all areas of the rink and has the offensive touch of a consistent 20-goal threat.

He just needs to regain the trajectory he was on 11 months ago.

Is Valtteri Puustinen an NHLer?

Seventh-round picks have limited expectations.

Heck, they don’t always even get signed by the teams that draft them.

But the arithmetic is a little different for Valtteri Puustinen, selected by the Penguins (No. 203 overall) in 2019.

For each of the past two seasons, he has been Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s leading scorer. In 2022-23 he posted 59 points (24 goals, 35 assists) in 72 games.

Despite all of that production at the AHL level, he has all of one career game (and one assist) at the NHL level.

Is he ready to make the jump to steadier NHL work.

While he is listed as a left winger, Puustinen is almost exclusively a right winger. Rakell and Rust have those roles on the top two lines nailed down, but there would appear to be ample opportunity on the third and fourth lines for a player such as Puustinen to emerge.

Can the penalty kill be fixed?

Much like the power play, the penalty kill was disjointed in 2022-23.

Not truly horrible but hardly excellent, the Penguins’ penalty killers had a conversion rate of 79.1%, 16th-best in the league.

Not coincidentally, the overhaul of the bottom-six forwards is tied to this group.

Eller, Acciari and Nieto all figure to get quality minutes in this area. As do incumbents such as Carter and O’Connor.

On defense, things will look a little different as well as left-hander Ryan Graves, a defensive blue liner, was signed to a six-year contract to shore up all things on the backend, including on the penalty kill.

With the departures of right-handed defensemen Jeff Petry and Jan Rutta, Letang figures to see some more time on the penalty kill.