Penguins defenseman Nathan Beaulieu offers a different element on the blueline

Nathan Beaulieu had a white Christmas.

In April.

As a spring snow squall covered windshields in the parking lot of the Penguins’ facility in Cranberry on Tuesday, Beaulieu was on the ice skating with his new team for the first time.

“It kind of felt like Christmas for me today being out there and getting to be around guys and be around my team,” the veteran defenseman said. “It was a fun day for me.”

Now, skating on a fourth defensive pairing with fellow reserve defenseman Mark Friedman is not what most would conflate with a holiday tiding.

But just being on the ice for the first time in a month and a half?

That’s a gift.

The Penguins acquired Beaulieu at the trade deadline March 21 in a deal with the Winnipeg Jets. The deal involved some creative finagling with regards to the salary cap.

With Beaulieu having been sidelined since suffering an undisclosed injury March 4, he was on long-term injured reserve by the time the Penguins sent a conditional seventh-round pick in this year’s draft to the Jets for his services.

Those services won’t be available until the playoffs, legally at least. With the Penguins a mere $11,861 under the salary cap according to Cap Friendly, Beaulieu can not be activated until the postseason when the salary cap is not enforced.

Essentially, the Penguins acquired him as a depth defenseman strictly for the playoffs while the Jets just wanted to dump some salary. (The conditions of the trade require the Penguins to reach this season’s Stanley Cup Final and for Beaulieu to appear in 50% of their games for the Jets to receive that seventh-round draft pick.)

So, for the time being, he’s relegated to working his way back from his injury.

On Tuesday, he wore a white jersey to signal non-contact.

As imperfect as that scenario is, he is grateful to simply be on the ice with his new team.

“It was a great day for me just to get out and be with my teammates,” Beaulieu said. “It’s never fun rehabbing and skating alone.

“The biggest thing is getting into practices. (Tuesday) was a big step for me. It’s something that we’re being cautious with. … It’s a day-by-day process right now and I’m feeling good.”

Frankly, things would have to go badly on the Penguins’ blue line for Beaulieu to see any action. He is no better than eighth on the team’s depth chart among the defensemen and at least two incumbents would have to be absent or just play poorly for him to merit consideration for a spot in the lineup.

But at 6-foot-2, 205 pounds, the left-handed Beaulieu offers a physical element few others on the roster, including the feisty Friedman, can provide.

“It’s more of a depth acquisition for us,” Penguins general manager Ron Hextall said the day of the trade. “He plays a real hard game. Physical, boxing out and things. We felt he was a good fit with our group. The physical, rugged nature that he plays with is certainly what attracted us to him.”

Penguins forward Brian Boyle (6-foot-6, 245 pounds) found that out when he was momentarily shaken up in a fight with Beaulieu on Jan. 23.

“I feel like I’ve been around long enough now that I can kind of fit in, do it all,” said the 29-year-old Beaulieu, who has 10 years of NHL experience. “More of a rugged guy. Being in the (Western Conference) the last few years, it’s nice to be back in the (Eastern Conference). I know it’s a little bit of a different game. So whatever the coaching staff asks, I feel comfortable doing a lot of things.”

A first-round pick (No. 17 overall) by the Montreal Canadiens in 2011, Beaulieu has had a steady but somewhat underwhelming career that included a stop with the Buffalo Sabres during the 2010s.

With a mere 21 games of postseason experience on his resume, he understands that joining the Penguins, even under less-than-ideal circumstances, is a gift given the franchise’s history of postseason success.

“Obviously, making the playoffs 16 years in a row is a feat that if any organization can accomplish that, it’s something very special,” Beaulieu said. “You see the core guys with (Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Sidney Crosby), guys that that have been around so long. They don’t need to open their mouths. You just kind of feel it. You feel the (camaraderie) around the team and how they’re on a mission. There’s no secret to their success.”

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