Penguins A to Z: Mark Friedman can provide some spark
With the Penguins in the midst of their offseason, the Tribune-Review is looking at all 48 players currently under NHL contracts to the organization in alphabetical order, from mid-level prospect Niclas Almari to top-six winger Jason Zucker.
Mark Friedman
Position: Defenseman
Shoots: Right
Age: 25
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 185 pounds
2020-21 NHL statistics: Nine games, three points (two goals, one assist)
Contract: First year of a two-year contract with a salary cap hit of $725,000. Pending unrestricted free agent in 2022.
Acquired: Claimed off waivers, Feb. 24
2020-21 season: Just when the novelty of Ron Hextall, one of the ultimate Philadelphia Flyers of all-time, being the general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins was starting to lose some of its luster, Hextall did something to remind all of us how strange this is.
He added a member of the Flyers to the Penguins’ roster.
Just over two weeks after being named the Penguins general manager on Feb. 9, Hextall’s first transaction in his new position was to claim Friedman off of waivers from the Flyers.
Having overseen Friedman’s selection in the third round of the 2014 draft and development with the Flyers as that franchise’s general manager, Hextall jumped on the chance to add him at a time when the Penguins’ defense was still dealing with a handful of early-season injuries.
After four unremarkable games with no points as a member of the Flyers through January and February, Friedman made his Penguins debut March 2 against the Flyers, of all teams. In a 5-2 home win, he recorded his first point of the season, a secondary assist.
Two nights later, Friedman really showed the impact he could make. During a 4-3 home loss to the Flyers, Friedman scored his first career goal.
Additionally, Friedman appeared to draw the ire of his ex-teammates as he was injured twice on hits by Flyers forward Nolan Patrick.
The second hit concussed Friedman and led to being assigned to injured reserve and missing 22 games.
Friedman returned to the lineup by May 3, against — guess who — the Flyers, in a 7-2 road loss. Two nights later, in a 7-3 road win against the Flyers, Friedman got into his first career fight with Flyers forward Joel Farabee.
In the late stages of that game, Friedman scored an empty-net goal then was dumped into the end boards on a cross-check by Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere.
Overall, Friedman played in five games for the Penguins and recorded three points (two goals, one assist) while primarily being deployed on the left side as a right-handed shot.
He was a scratch for all six of their postseason games.
The future: Given Hextall’s history with him, it’s safe to assume Friedman will get a legitimate look to be in the lineup on a more regular basis next season. Should right-handed defenseman Cody Ceci, a pending unrestricted free agent this offseason, potentially sign elsewhere, fellow righties Chad Ruhwedel and Friedman figure to be candidates to man the starboard side of the blue line.
With regards to next month’s expansion draft, Friedman will likely not be protected by the Penguins and the Seattle Kraken would likely not select him.
It’ll be interesting to see what Friedman can offer in games against teams other than the Flyers. Four of his five games with the Penguins came against their cross-state rivals and for reasons that are only apparent to the parties directly involved, there appears to be a personal conflict between Friedman and his former teammates.
In a limited sample size, Friedman has shown he has the base elements required to play with the Penguins in terms of his skating and ability to be a fourth attacker on the rush. And for a team whose management — i.e. Hextall and president of hockey operations Brian Burke — has professed a desire to add toughness, Friedman has certainly been willing to mix it up, albeit as a smaller, scrappier entity.
He might not be among the team’s six best defensemen next season, but Friedman can provide some spark for the Penguins in the right situations.
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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