Rickard Rakell gets a look at left wing as the Penguins sort out their lineup
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From the right-wing boards, Sidney Crosby wound up and chopped a one-timer.
What followed was a thud and a groan.
Each sound emanated from some portion of Bryan Rust’s person.
Crosby’s shot hit his linemate, who was stationed just above the crease on the southeast end of the main rink of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ facility in Cranberry during practice Wednesday.
Rust skated over to the boards and gave a smirk to Crosby, who looked equal parts amused and relieved that the puck he fired only dinged Rust a bit.
After all, Crosby can’t really afford to lose another winger.
With Jake Guentzel expected to miss at least five games to open the regular season as he recovers from offseason surgery to his right ankle, the Penguins are in need of a temporary left wing on the top line. That prompted management to invite a handful of hopeful options to training camp such as Vinnie Hinostroza, Andreas Johnsson and others to allow them an opportunity to fill in.
On Wednesday, coaches turned to an incumbent option who is always ready and reliable.
Rickard Rakell.
Typically deployed on the right wing, Rakell skated on the left side of the top line with Crosby and Rust on Wednesday. In fact, most of the line combinations and pairings the Penguins displayed Wednesday resembled what they might offer when the regular season opens Oct. 10.
The first of two practice sessions Wednesday mostly involved established NHLers, and the second group was primarily composed of players who likely will open the season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League.
In addition to the Rakell-Crosby-Rust line, the second line involved Reilly Smith, Evgeni Malkin and Alex Nylander. On the third line was Drew O’Connor, Lars Eller and Matt Nieto. Rounding out the group were fourth-liners Vinnie Hinostroza, Noel Acciari and Jeff Carter. Austin Wagner, in camp on a professional tryout, and Radim Zohorna, signed to a one-year, two-way deal, skated as extra forwards.
On defense, Ryan Graves was teamed with Kris Letang on the first pair, and Marcus Pettersson and Erik Karlsson formed the second pair. P.O Joseph and Chad Ruhwedel skated on the third pair, and a fourth pairing saw Ryan Shea and Mark Friedman.
Even the special teams units were put through the motions. The top power-play unit featured Crosby, Karlsson, Letang, Malkin and Rakell, and the second group involved Carter, Joseph, Nylander, Rust and Smith.
As for the penalty kill, Eller, Graves, O’Connor and Ruhwedel formed a steady first group, and Acciari, Friedman, Hinostroza, Nieto, Pettersson, Shea and Wagner were all in something of an “audition” for the second group.
Notable absences from the first practice included forward prospects Sam Poulin, Valtteri Puustinen and Brayden Yager and defenseman Ty Smith. They all skated in the second group.
“That was a predominant NHL group out there,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “You’re going to see a lot of those guys in (Thursday’s home preseason game against the Buffalo Sabres).
“We got some power-play work with some of the units that we’re potentially thinking about putting together. We’re just trying to get them some (repetitions), introduce some concepts, things of that nature. There will be some flexibility within those groups that we have.”
The always-malleable Rakell is no stranger to the left wing. He has played it sporadically throughout his tenure with the Penguins since joining the club via trade in February 2022. Per LinesLinesLines, an X (formerly known as Twitter) account that tracks what positions professional players line up to open games in various leagues, Rakell has skated on the left wing in 17 of the 152 regular-season games he has suited for with the Penguins. And in the 2019-20 season, Rakell was deployed as a left winger in 55 of 65 games as a member of the Anaheim Ducks.
“I’ve played left wing before,” Rakell said. “It’s nothing new to me, really. I played right wing all of last season. It’s always different playing in practice, then getting your timing right in the games. We’ll see what our lineup looks like (Thursday), but if I’m in, I’m excited to just start playing some games, playing some other people than on our own team.”
Rust is familiar with being moved around the lineup as well, having played on all four lines and both wings during his tenure with the franchise. Versatility like he and Rakell possess is only an asset.
“Your ability to have as many tools in your toolbox as you can possibly have just gives you an advantage,” Rust said. “Gives your teammates an advantage because you can flip flop between the roles and the positions and the spots in the lineup. That just kind of gives our teams different looks, our lines a different look. That just makes us more unpredictable.”
There are plenty of optimistic predictions for the top power-play unit now that Karlsson, a three-time winner of the Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenseman, is a member of that group.
“It’s going to take a little bit of time before we find our identity and what we’re trying to accomplish out there,” Karlsson said. “We’re going to have to talk a lot about it in the beginning and then find a way to execute. That’s something I don’t think I’m too worried about with the clientele here.”
The composition of that clientele began to get sorted out Wednesday.
“It definitely felt like we were starting to work on the chemistry of the lines and (defensive) pairs and all of that,” Rakell said. “It’s just nice to be out there and compete against each other. I’m looking forward to playing with our team. And to play different teams.”