NHL training camp opens July 10. With players now permitted to work out in small groups at their team’s facilities, it’s unclear why another month’s wait is required. But with the logistics of the resumption still not finalized, it’s good just to have a date.

Perhaps that isn’t true in Montreal.

While the Pittsburgh Penguins have more than half their roster skating at Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry, only two Canadiens are in Montreal. Working out in small groups is permitted, but two is the smallest group possible. I bet each Canadien shot the puck at the other, and both missed. They did finish 15 points behind the Penguins, after all.

If the Canadiens’ preparation level indicates how invested the preliminary round’s lower seeds are in the resumption, maybe the NHL chose to include too many teams. (The Canadiens are the Penguins’ prelim-round foe.)

The NHL’s resumption amounts to a golden opportunity for the Penguins.

The playoffs start right after training camp, an NHL first. Sidney Crosby is 32. Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang are 33. They get an opportunity to begin the postseason as fresh as possible. That applies to the other teams, too. But those teams don’t have talent like Crosby, Malkin and Letang. (The Canadiens certainly don’t.)

Other teams get players back from injury. But few are as impactful as Jake Guentzel.

The Penguins have outstanding depth. We didn’t see that much during the regular season because of an onerous injury list. But we get to see that now.

The third line likely will be Jared McCann centering Patrick Marleau and Patric Hornqvist. The fourth line will be Teddy Blueger between Zach Aston-Reese and Brandon Tanev. Those are basically co-third lines and will be used accordingly.

Right-handed defensemen are at a premium. The Penguins’ top three right-handed defensemen all can skate and move the puck: Letang, John Marino and Justin Schultz. Marino has been a godsend, a brilliant acquisition with a bright present and future.

The question remains: How will the top two lines be put together?

Except it’s not a question. Crosby will center Guentzel and Conor Sheary. Malkin will center Jason Zucker and Bryan Rust. That’s non-negotiable, at least to start.

Guentzel played well on Malkin’s line when Crosby was hurt. (Maybe Guentzel just plays well with anybody.) Zucker did fine on Crosby’s line.

But Guentzel and Sheary with Crosby is written in stone, at least initially. That’s who Crosby feels comfortable with. Malkin isn’t as picky with linemates, and it’s not like he’s getting short shrift centering Zucker and Rust.

True, Zucker and Malkin never have played together. But does that matter when there’s more than four months between games?

Marleau and Hornqvist aren’t top-six forwards, except in a pinch. Marleau is 40, and while he benefits from the pause, he was only average since joining the Penguins via trade. Hornqvist’s main chance to produce will be on the power play. Both are still valuable components. Good bottom-six forwards are integral in the playoffs.

One big adjustment: Sheary should go back to pronouncing his name Sheer-y and not Share-y. Share-y may be correct. But he played better when he was Sheer-y.

The pandemic has presented the Penguins with a situation that is uniquely favorable. They’re not an old team, but their best players are aging. Circumstances have minimized that element. They always had talent and playoff experience. Now they have fresh legs. Their talent and experience can be better maximized.

It’s hard to imagine Crosby and Malkin not running amok. Each played well prior to the pause. Each will be adrenalized by what’s at stake. As three-time Stanley Cup winners, each will understand the singular chance being presented.

Plenty more dissection will be done between now and games being played. But circumstances have put the Penguins on a par with any of the NHL’s teams.

The question mark, despite his resume, is two-time Cup-winning goalie Matt Murray. Not a weakness, but a question mark.

Murray wasn’t awful in the regular season, but his save percentage of .899 was a career low. But none of that matters now. Murray has the chops and track record, and this is his time of year. (Except last season was Murray’s worst playoff to date.)

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