Tim Benz: 2 Penguins that must fill the net while stars are sidelined

With Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin sidelined to start the 2021-22 season, points will have to come from somewhere for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Who the Pens lean on to generate that offense — and how they do it — are key points of discussion. After all, Bryan Rust can only do so much, and Jake Guentzel has to get back in form after landing on the covid-19 list.

Despite the scoring pop he provided after a trade from the Los Angeles Kings last season, Jeff Carter shouldn’t be asked to extend his minutes or his role to any great extent. He’s 36 and likely will be seeing a lot of top defensive skaters while absorbing first- and second-line shifts with Crosby and Malkin out.

The offensive capabilities of defenseman Kris Letang are well known. But sometimes when Letang chases offense and tries to do too much, that’s when mistakes happen. Asking him to get outside of the team’s construct and consciously try to score more may end up doing more harm than good.

Players who are newly acquired or taking on elevated minutes such as Evan Rodrigues, Teddy Blueger and Danton Heinen must certainly chip in. However, playing within their capabilities while mastering the system of head coach Mike Sullivan should be their top priority.

Two players who really need to step up and simply put the puck in the net more often are Jason Zucker and Kasperi Kapanen.

Starting with Tuesday night’s season opener against the Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning, the two wingers may see a lot of time with Rodrigues and should feel responsible for carrying the scoring burden while Carter pilots the top line. Both are talented, capable players that have exhibited flashes of why the Penguins worked so hard to acquire them in trades from their former teams. Yet consistent point production wasn’t there enough last year for either player.

Yes, health got in the way for both. Zucker missed most of March with a leg injury. Kapanen missed about a month after a foot injury.

Even before that issue, though, Kapanen had some ups and downs in the scoring department during his second stint with the Penguins organization. A run through March and April that featured 16 points in 18 games was preceded by just one goal and four assists in 11 games in February. Plus, Kapanen had only one goal in six playoff games.

As for Zucker, he was a minus-8 during the compressed 2021 season, posting just nine points and nine assists in 38 regular-season games.

On Monday afternoon, Sullivan said he can see both players picking up the slack as Crosby and Malkin work their way back into the lineup.

“We are going to rely on guys like (Kapanen). He is going to be a really important guy for us especially under the circumstances with some of our top players out of the lineup,” Sullivan said on 105.9 The X.

Sullivan said Kapanen’s physical conditioning is the best that it has been since he was reacquired by the Penguins in a trade prior to last season.

“We are really excited about his progress and where he is at right now. He is in the best shape since we’ve had him. He’s had a really good preseason. He’s worked really hard. He deserves so much credit for his commitment during training camp,” Sullivan told host Mark Madden.

As for Zucker, Sullivan feels some things clicked for him during the first-round playoff series defeat against the New York Islanders that should carry over to this regular season. While his two goals and one assist may not be jaw-dropping, Zucker was a more noticeable threat during those games, especially given the way the rest of the team struggled to score against New York.

“He brought a lot of grit and emotion to the table,” Sullivan said. “He scored some big goals for us. He was hard to play against. He was just emotionally invested. I think when (Zucker) plays that straight-ahead speed game with a little bit of edge to him, he’s a really good player.”

Sullivan went so far as to call those games Zucker’s best hockey since the Penguins acquired him in a trade from the Minnesota Wild in February 2020.

If Zucker can replicate that level of assertiveness and Kapanen can consistently hone the flashes of standout play he illustrated last year, that could mitigate that absence of Crosby for a few games to start the year as he recovers from wrist surgery.

And, perhaps more importantly, it could help Carter if he slots between those two once Crosby returns and while Malkin is out for a longer period of time dealing with his knee rehabilitation.

If not, the Penguins are going to need to find help from another source that isn’t apparent yet. And this is a season that is already beginning with a lot less clarity about the Penguins’ postseason chances than what the organization has had the last 15 years.

Penguins Radio Network host Brian Metzer makes his “Breakfast With Benz podcast” season debut. We talk about the Pens’ season opener in Tampa, Tristan Jarry’s hope for a bounceback season after last year’s playoff struggles, and the prospect of the Penguins to qualify for the postseason in a crowded Metro Division.