Penguins A to Z: Teddy Blueger finally arrives
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 55 individuals under NHL contract with the organization, from mid-level prospect Niclas Almari to high-profile trade acquisition Jason Zucker.
Player: Teddy Blueger
Position: Center
Shoots: Left
Age: 25
Height: 6-foot
Weight: 185 pounds
2019-20 NHL statistics: 69 games, 22 points (nine goals, 13 assists)
Contract: First 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
This season: Blueger had waited.
Quite a while.
It was seven years, in fact.
That’s how long it took for Blueger to open a season as a full-blown NHL-er.
He took the long way to realize his potential. As a fairly high pick in the 2012 draft that also produced recent Stanley Cup championship contributors such as defenseman Olli Maatta and goaltender Matt Murray, Blueger played all four years he was eligible at Minnesota State, Mankato before turning professional late in the 2015-16 campaign.
Then, while Nick Bonino, Matt Cullen, Carter Rowney, Derick Brassard, Riley Sheahan and even Greg McKegg (for a few weeks, at least) filled the Penguins’ bottom-two center roles with various degrees of success, Blueger refined his diverse game with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. His fastidious devotion to his craft turned him into that team’s most well-rounded and dependable player.
He eventually earned a recall and showed he was more than capable of being an NHL-caliber player midway through the 2018-19 campaign, but when the playoffs rolled around, he was a healthy scratch for all but one game.
As the 2019-20 season dawned, Blueger found himself in the NHL lineup for Game 1 for the first time and has been in the same place ever since. One of two players who dressed for all 69 of the Penguins’ games before the NHL halted play March 12, Blueger has developed into one of the clubs’ steadiest entities.
Centering a line with Zach Aston-Reese on the left wing and Brandon Tanev at right wing, Blueger has been arguably the team’s best defensive forward as he routinely draws assignments against top centers in the NHL, including the likes of Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins and Nicklas Backstrom of the Washington Capitals.
Additionally, Blueger has turned into one of the team’s top penalty killers as he leads the squad with an average of 2 minutes, 23 seconds of short-handed ice time per game this season.
The only blemish on Blueger’s game is his acumen in the faceoff circle. While he leads the team with 890 draws, he has won only 402 of those (45.2 percent).
The future: Assuming the season resumes, Blueger will slot back between Aston-Reese and Tanev and give the Penguins a trio they can expect to clamp down on any opposing forward to hinder their offensive game.
In the long term, Blueger could develop into a yearly candidate for Frank J. Selke Trophy, which recognizes the top defensive forward in the game. He’s that good.
With an expansion draft looming in the 2021 offseason, don’t be surprised if the Penguins do everything they can to protect their rights to Blueger.
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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