Penguins A to Z: Mark Jankowski's second chance didn't pan out

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 Jankowski

Position: Center

Shoots: Left

Age: 26

Height: 6-foot-4

Weight: 212 pounds

2020-21 NHL statistics: 45 games, 11 points (four goals, seven assists)

Contract: One-year contract with a salary cap hit of $700,000. Pending restricted free agent this offseason

(Note: According to Cap Friendly, Jankowski is eligible for arbitration.)

Acquired: Unrestricted free agent signing, Oct. 9, 2020

2020-21 season: The reasoning behind signing Mark Jankowski in hopes he would fit in as the Penguins’ third-line center was sound.

He was a former first-round pick (No 21 overall by the Calgary Flames in 2012) who had pedigree. Plus, he had some history of success having reached double-digit figures in goals during two previous seasons as the Flames No. 3 center.

Most importantly, he came onboard cheap. Joining a team bumping its head against the top of the salary cap, Jankowski signed a one-year deal for the league minimum salary in hopes of providing his career a much-needed course correction.

It was a low-risk, high-reward signing that ultimately provided almost no reward.

Things sure started out well for Jankowski with the Penguins. He scored the first goal of the entire NHL season and added an assist while centering a line with Jared McCann and former college teammate Brandon Tanev in the Penguins’ opener, a 6-3 road loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Jan. 13.

Two nights later he added an assist in a 5-2 road loss to the Flyers and seemed to be off to a fast start with his new team.

All of that came to a screeching halt as Jankowski failed to record a single point over his next 21 games and was demoted to the fourth line.

Jankowski suffered a head injury during a 5-2 road loss to the Washington Capitals on Feb. 25 when he was clobbered on a late hit by Capitals forward Tom Wilson and missed three games.

He missed an additional game on March 27 when he was placed on the NHL’s list of absences due to covid-19 related protocol.

Jankowski’s steadiest work came on the penalty kill where he averaged 1:48 of short-handed ice time, fourth-most among the team’s forwards. His best stretch of the season was a modest four-game scoring streak (two goals, four assists) April 3-9.

Injuries to other forwards largely kept Jankowski in the lineup until the late stages of the regular season. But following the addition of forward Jeff Carter on April 12 and the rise of forward Frederick Gaudreau (as well as most of the team’s other forwards avoiding further injuries), Jankowski was a healthy scratch by April 29, sitting for the team’s final six games of the regular season and all six of their postseason games.

The future: Jankowski was a worthwhile experiment, especially since he didn’t have much of an impact on the Penguins’ salary cap.

It’s accurate to say things didn’t work out as hoped and all parties concerned will probably part ways. The Penguins will likely not tender a qualifying offer to Jankowski to retain his signing rights and allow him to become an unrestricted free agent.

Additionally, he is highly unlikely to be protected (or selected) in next month’s expansion draft for the Seattle Kraken franchise.

On the surface, Jankowski seems to have a lot of qualities the Penguins value, particularly given his size, but it would be a stretch to say Jankowski plays anything remotely close to a “big” game.

The Penguins provided Jankowski a second chance but it just never panned out.

Follow the Penguins all season long.