Mark Madden: When healthy, the Penguins could actually roll 4 good lines

Here’s a popular talk-show question: When the Pittsburgh Penguins are 100% healthy, what would their lines be?

Here’s a popular Penguins fan fantasy: that the team will ever be 100% healthy.

That’s not the nature of hockey and certainly not the nature of the Penguins. Their defense was ravaged by injury at season’s start. Since then, it’s been the forwards. But Kasperi Kapanen returned Thursday night. Evgeni Malkin and Brandon Tanev are inching their way back.

The Penguins have lost more man-games to injury than any team in the NHL save three. The Penguins deserve a break. Maybe they yet will be 100% healthy.

So if that happens, what would their lines be?

Sidney Crosby centering Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust is a lock. Crosby has played his way into NHL MVP contention. Guentzel and Rust have aided and abetted.

Teddy Blueger between Zach Aston-Reese and Brandon Tanev seems highly likely. The Penguins want to duplicate the New York Islanders’ fourth line of Casey Cizikas, Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck. Blueger, Aston-Reese and Tanev come close enough: tenacious, fast and physical.

After that, things are open for debate.

Kapanen skated on the third and fourth lines in Thursday’s 5-1 home victory over New Jersey. That could have been a nod to him playing his first game in a month.

It also could have revealed coach Mike Sullivan’s desire to keep the trio of Jared McCann-Jeff Carter-Jason Zucker together. That might well be the third line come playoff time.

Sullivan has done one of his best coaching jobs this season. But that line is shaky.

Carter played right wing all season in Los Angeles. Zucker has played left wing during his entire Penguins tenure and almost his whole career prior. McCann had prospered at center prior to that line’s assembly. Now Carter is playing center, Zucker right wing and McCann left wing.

That unit doesn’t stink but hasn’t sparkled. Carter has missed some assignments defensively. McCann has done OK, registering four points in five games. Zucker has two points in that span but looks clumsy on his off-wing. He has trouble taking the puck off the boards, which is often the fatal flaw to making that switch.

Zucker says he can do it. But most players would say that, and try. (Not Patric Hornqvist. When the Penguins had a left-wing crisis during Hornqvist’s time in Pittsburgh, I asked him if he could play the left side. Hornqvist: “No. Just right.” End of discussion.)

If that line stays together, the second line would be Malkin, Kapanen and Evan Rodrigues. That would put Rodrigues on his off-wing.

Those are four good lines. Sullivan could actually roll four lines instead of paying lip service to the concept, then getting betrayed by ice-time stats. (That happens a lot in the NHL. Most coaches “roll four lines” in theory, not practice.)

But using McCann on Malkin’s left wing and employing a third line of Carter flanked by Zucker and Rodrigues seems better. It puts Zucker and Rodrigues on their proper wings.

It’s also tempting to use McCann at center because he’s played well there. Put Carter at right wing. Carter is good on draws, but the rules don’t prevent wings from taking face-offs. Duh.

It’s dumb to discuss line combinations because they’re always liquid, not least under Sullivan. But Sullivan has plenty of options, especially if his roster is 100% healthy.

That’s also dumb to discuss.

The defense is of little concern, six goals conceded in Tuesday’s third period vs. New Jersey duly noted. (That wasn’t all goaltender Tristan Jarry’s fault, but pretty close.) Trade acquisition Mike Matheson and free-agent signing Cody Ceci have performed well beyond expectations, providing a reminder of ex-GM Jim Rutherford’s brilliance. (Kapanen, too.)