Penguins A to Z: Things got ugly for Zach Trotman last season
As the NHL prepares for a new season scheduled to start in mid-January, 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.
Zach Trotman
Position: Defenseman
Shoots: Right
Age: 30
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 217 pounds
2019-20 NHL statistics: Eight games, zero points
2019-20 AHL statistics: 27 games, 14 points (four goals, 10 assists)
Contract: Second year of a two-year, two-way contract with a salary cap hit of $700,000. Pending unrestricted free agent in 2021.
Acquired: Unrestricted free agent signing on July 1, 2017
Last season: Even by the macabre standards the Penguins set last season for injuries and other maladies, Zach Trotman had a brutal 2019-20 season from a health standpoint.
First, he was injured throughout training camp, sidelined due to a core muscle injury a few months before captain Sidney Crosby made it cool. Trotman underwent surgery and opened the campaign on long-term injured reserve. As a result, he was not able to take the ice for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins until Nov. 1.
Working the right side of the second pairing as well as the power play, Trotman had a solid start to his season, putting up five points (two goals, three assists) in his first eight American Hockey League games. When injuries hit the NHL Penguins’ blue line, Trotman was recalled on Nov. 21 and played primarily on a pairing with Marcus Pettersson before being sent back to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Dec. 6.
Things were ugly throughout December and January for Trotman as he suffered a concussion on Dec. 13, and was sidelined for 16 games over six weeks, not returning to the AHL lineup until Jan. 24.
Once again, things were ugly – literally, this time – when he got took an errant skate to the face on Feb. 1. Thankfully, the damage was only cosmetic and Trotman only missed a handful of shifts following some stitch work.
He was recalled again on an emergency basis Feb. 19 when further injuries to the incumbent defensemen hit. Trotman played in three NHL games, all of which were losses during the Penguins’ terrible six-game losing streak towards the end of the regular season. Trotman, like most of his teammates during that stretch, largely struggled.
Returned to the AHL on March 2, Trotman remained on Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s second pairing until that league halted play in mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
When the NHL opened training camps in July for its postseason tournament, Trotman was unable to participate due to an undisclosed ailment.
The future: Trotman has been absent for the final three days of training camp in preparation for the 2020-21 season. After the Penguins canceled practice on Saturday due to concerns about the coronavirus, Trotman was one of three players who have not practiced or scrimmages. And per NHL rules, the Penguins have not disclosed a reason why.
Assuming he’s healthy, Trotman still figures to be in the mix, albeit in a reserve role. When general manager Jim Rutherford speaks about the organization’s depth on defense, he usually boasts of having “nine NHL defensemen,” with Trotman completing the nonet.
As a right-handed shot, he’ll always have some value given the scarcity of that attribute on the blue line. And as a solid skater with some offensive instincts, he can be trusted to be a bottom-pairing defenseman when pressed into service and given the remarkable circumstances the 2020-21 campaign will be played under, Trotman very well could be in the NHL lineup at some point, even with competition from prospects such as Pierre-Olivier Joseph, Cam Lee and others.
Assuming the AHL season start on Feb. 5 as planned, Trotman will once again be one of that team’s most dependable players.
He just needs to stay healthy and avoid anything resembling the nightmare that was his 2019-20 season.
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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