Penguins A to Z: Can Teddy Blueger claim the third-line center role?

While the NHL is on hold because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Tribune-Review will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 48 individuals under NHL contract with the organization, from mid-level prospect Niclas Almari to high-profile trade acquisition Jason Zucker.

Teddy Blueger

Position: Center

Shoots: Left

Age: 26

Height: 6-foot

Weight: 185 pounds

2019-20 NHL statistics: 69 games, 22 points (nine goals, 13 assists)

Contract: Second year of a two-year contract with a salary cap hit of $750,000. Pending restricted free agent in 2021

Acquired: Second-round draft pick (No. 52 overall), June 23, 2012

Last season: Despite being a member of the Penguins for nearly a decade, Blueger didn’t open a season at the NHL level until the dawn of the 2019-20 campaign.

A member of the Penguins’ bountiful 2012 draft class, Blueger took the long way to the NHL as he spent four seasons at the NCAA level with Minnesota State Mankato then joined the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins with whom he served an apprenticeship over four seasons. Late in the 2018-19 season, Blueger earned a call-up and was productive, posting 10 points (six goals, four assists) in 28 games.

When the Penguins’ 2019-20 season opened, Blueger was in the lineup for Game 1. And he never left.

While the rest of the Penguins’ lineup was pockmarked with ailments of all sorts, Blueger was one of two members of the roster to appear in all 69 games the team played before the NHL halted play in mid-March because of the pandemic.

Blueger wasn’t just a healthy body in the lineup either. He nailed down a vital role and thrived as the center of the Penguins’ fourth (but really third) line between wingers Zach Aston-Reese and Brandon Tanev. That trio routinely drew assignments against some of the top lines in the Eastern Conference such as those centered by Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins and Sean Couturier of the Philadelphia Flyers.

On special teams, Blueger became one of the team’s top penalty killers, leading the Penguins with an average of 2:23 of short-handed ice time per game last season.

The future: The Penguins have been looking for a third-line center ever since Nick Bonino departed as a free agent in 2017. They might have had one all along in Blueger. General manager Jim Rutherford cautiously suggested that in October.

“Teddy has the ability to do that,” Rutherford said. “Now, there’s more than just having the ability to do that. You have to have the stamina and the strength to be able to play 82 games. And when you’re playing in that position, comparing him to a Bonino, you’re playing against the other team’s top players — if not their top, their second-line players — to shut them down. You have to grow into that. You have to learn how to do that. You have to pace yourself. Right now, we believe Teddy has the ability to do it. But can he do it over the course of a whole season?”

Blueger, who is in line for a new contract as a pending restricted free agent, has all the base elements to be a stable third-line center. He’s a fleet skater, reads the ice well and even has some offensive touch but seemingly never strays from his defensive responsibilities.

The only wart to his game is in the faceoff circle. On a team-leading 890 draws, Blueger only won 402 of those (45.2%). But given Blueger’s obsessive pursuit of perfecting his craft — he’s usually one of the last players off the ice at practice — it wouldn’t be a surprise to see his faceoff number tick up next season.

While Mark Jankowski, a former first-round pick of the Calgary Flames, was signed as an unrestricted free agent in hopes of filling out the third line center role, it might be a matter of time before Blueger formally or informally claims that spot, assuming he hasn’t already done so.

Follow the Penguins all season long.