How will the Penguins replace injured forward Brock McGinn?

It remains to be seen who the Penguins will use to replace energetic bottom-six winger Brock McGinn, lost for several weeks because of a suspected right hand or arm injury.

One thing is certain.

It won’t be rookie forward Valtteri Puustinen — at least not in Sunday’s home game against the Carolina Hurricanes, one would presume.

After all, the Penguins assigned the rookie to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League on Saturday evening.

But beyond the immediate concerns of Sunday’s contest, the Penguins probably will need something of a committee to replace McGinn.

The 6-foot, 187-pound forechecking forward is not the Penguins’ most important player, far from it. But he is a unique player.

Faster than a hiccup, McGinn can hassle opposing defensemen into turnovers on their own end boards while also generating the occasional breakaway.

At the same time, he doesn’t play a game worthy of display in the Louvre. In fact, it might be fair to state his game is bowling shoe ugly, in a complimentary fashion. He goes to the net, grinds it out on the boards, blocks shots and makes more contact than a telephone operator.

Furthermore, he is one of the team’s top penalty killers. His average of 1 minute, 59 seconds of short-handed ice time is second most among the team’s forwards.

“It’s (stinks) anytime one of your teammates goes down like that, especially a guy like (McGinn),” said forward Zach Aston-Reese, one of McGinn’s regular linemates. “This last little stretch, he’s been generating a lot of offense. On the flip side of that, he’s been playing great defense, and he’s had some big blocks. Blocking a shot hurts. He’s been playing through bumps and bruises from blocking shots. He’s going to be missed, especially on the (penalty kill). But, at the same time, there’s guys that can step up.”

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In eight NHL games this season, Penguins forward Radim Zohorna has two points (one goal, one assist).

Struggling forward Kasperi Kapanen and rookie forward Radim Zohorna appear to be leading candidates to take that step, at least in terms of five-on-five play.

After being a healthy scratch for Friday’s 5-2 home win against the Vegas Golden Knights, Kapanen appears to have a clear opportunity to reclaim a spot in the lineup because of McGinn’s misfortune. During Saturday’s practice in Cranberry, Kapanen skated on the left wing of the third line with Jeff Carter at center and Puustinen on the right wing.

Zohorna has been summoned to the NHL roster for a fourth time this season. In the eight games he has played, he has scored two points (one goal, one assist).

A native of Czechia who is in his second North American season, Zohorna has taken ample strides in his brief time with the Penguins.

“We think (Zohorna) has a pretty complete game,” coach Mike Sullivan said last month. “His pace has improved in his time with his, both in Pittsburgh and (with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton). For a guy that brings the size that he brings, he has great playmaking abilities. He has good hands with the puck. He has good offensive instincts.

“The biggest thing for me is just watching the pace of his game evolve. That, for me, is what is going to allow him to be a consistent NHL player. He’s done a real good job for us. He’s conscientious away from the puck, he’s shown an ability to play well defensively. Then he can play the center position, he can play the wing position. So he’s a versatile player on top of it.

“As far as what we think this upside is in the NHL, with his offensive instincts, he could potentially be a top-nine forward for us consistently.”

Trusted veteran forward Dominik Simon is always available as well, though he skated as an extra forward during Saturday’s practice.

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In 45 games this season, Penguins forward Brian Boyle has 10 points (six goals, four assists).

The penalty kill recently went through some struggles because of the absence of center Teddy Blueger who missed 16 games with a broken jaw. During that stretch, the Penguins allowed nine goals on 37 short-handed situations, equating to a kill rate of only 75.6%.

After McGinn left Friday’s game in the second period of Friday’s game, the Penguins’ penalty killers managed to turn away two power-play opportunities by the Golden Knights in the third period while protecting a one-goal lead. With four minutes of power-play time, the Golden Knights could muster only one shot.

“If you look at our (penalty killing) stats, they haven’t been too good the last 10-game stretch,” Aston-Reese said. “We’ve given up a lot of goals on the (penalty kill). (Friday) was kind of a pride thing. We did a really good job of denying entries. That made it really tough for them to set up. We had one failed clear. That’s another huge stat. Anytime you fail to clear the puck, it’s kind of a scramble mode. Guys are out of position and that’s usually when (opponents) will score on the power play.”

Veteran Brian Boyle likely will pick up a few more shifts on the penalty kill, and he figures to also take over for McGinn on the fourth line, as was the case Friday.

McGinn began the contest on the third line after being elevated from his typical role on the fourth line. Boyle, typically a center, has been deployed at times as a winger this season.

Aston-Reese offered a positive audit of what Boyle offers from the flanks.

“It’s nice because if Teddy gets kicked out of the draw, you have another centerman that’s able to step up and get in there,” Aston-Reese said. “(Boyle is) always talking, which is nice. Coming back, after a shift, if something went right or if something went wrong, we’re talking about it. It’s nice on the forecheck too. When he gets in the corner … he’s a giant so it’s hard to knock him off the puck. That’s an advantage for us. If he can hold onto pucks, Teddy and I can come support and maybe (force) a guy off. It’s nice having (Boyle) out there.”

A lot of guys are going to likely be put out on the ice to replace the various things McGinn does over the next handful of weeks.

“(McGinn), he’s a tough guy to replace,” Sullivan said. “He just does so many of the little things so well. He makes us hard to play against. He brings physicality to our lineup. He blocks shots. He’s a good penalty killer. He’s just a good hockey player. He plays on both sides of the puck, he helps us generate offense. He’s a real stingy player. … He’s a key guy for us. But we’ve been through this all year long. It’s going to provide opportunities for others. … We’ll see where it goes, but guys are going to be given opportunities and we need to take advantage of that.”