Jared McCann wants to be 'a difference' at center for the Penguins

Jared McCann has done this on more than one occasion.

Heck, he’s done it this month already.

Being the Pittsburgh Penguins’ second-line center is nothing new to him. He took on that role March 2 when Sidney Crosby missed a game as a result of being on the NHL’s list of absences related to covid-19 protocol.

He did the same thing for much of a two-month span last season while Crosby was sidelined with a core muscle injury.

So assuming he steps in as the pivot on the team’s second line for Saturday’s afternoon road game against the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., he won’t need much acclimation to the job.

The Penguins have used him like this before.

But they probably haven’t needed him at center this badly before.

With Evgeni Malkin and Teddy Blueger sidelined indefinitely, the Penguins have considerable issues at the center position throughout their lineup.

That was evident during Thursday’s 3-2 road loss to the Devils. After Crosby on the first line, there was a considerable drop-off with journeymen Evan Rodrigues, Mark Jankowski and Frederick Gaudreau throughout the bottom three lines.

McCann, who has missed the past six games because of an undisclosed injury, won’t replace Malkin, one of the NHL’s all-time greats. But he gives the Penguins a better option in that role than what was available Thursday.

Officially considered a “game-time decision” for Saturday, McCann is expected to skate with Kasperi Kapanen and Brandon Tanev on his wings.

“I’m a natural center,” McCann said via video conference.” I’ve been playing the wing a lot this year but I feel like once you play center, you’re able to play every position. Obviously, I’ve got two great linemates to play with, (Kapanen and Tanev). We had some good chemistry already this year.

“We’re going to look to make a difference (Saturday).”

One considerable difference for McCann at the center role compared to his usual deployment on the left wing is defense. Basically, the center has to play more defense than either of the wings for most teams, including the Penguins.

“A center has got to be all over the ice,” McCann said. “You have to be quick. You have to be able to help your (defensemen) if there’s a stall in the corner (of the defensive zone). We like to do the ‘second quick’ a lot. Just trying to help my (defensemen) as much as I possibly can, come back hard for pucks and kind of be able to talk to them and give them a good out.”

A “second quick” is a defensive tactic where a forward goes low into his own defensive zone and offers a close passing option to a defenseman protecting a puck from an opposing forechecker.

McCann seems ready to embrace that portion of his new (but not that new) duties. But will that come at the expense of his offense, most notably his strong shooting acumen?

“There’s obviously a bigger burden of responsibly on the center icemen defensively because they have to play down low for the most part,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “I still think Jared will have the ability to utilize his scoring ability, his shot, his speed through the neutral zone playing the center ice position. I don’t think it’s a drastic change for him offensively.”

Not that Sullivan has an abundance of options to turn to at the moment, but he seemed relieved to potentially have McCann at his disposal as he tries to patch together his pockmarked depth chart down the middle.

“He’s a natural center, so he has a comfort level playing there,” Sullivan said.

“He can take faceoffs. He brings a lot of speed. He distributes the puck well. So the versatility that Jared brings to our team we think is beneficial.”

“In cases like this, if we run into circumstances where we’re injured at the center-ice position, he’s a guy that we can put into that circumstance and he has a comfort level being there. Jared’s got real good offensive instincts. He can score goals. He’s an important player for us and certainly, he helps us when he’s in the lineup.”

In 17 games this season, McCann has 10 points (five goals, five assists). The vast majority of that production has come as a left winger.

But all parties concerned seem confident he can do it at center as well.

They need him to.

“I’m not going to overthink it too much to be honest with you,” McCann said. “I’m just going to go out there and play my game.”

Follow the Penguins all season long.