Mike Sullivan’s newest weapon will likely be in the lineup Tuesday night when the Penguins host Columbus at PPG Paints Arena.
Rickard Rakell, acquired Monday at the NHL’s trade deadline from Anaheim, arrived in Pittsburgh Tuesday morning.
“He’s a guy that can help us on both sides of the puck,” Sullivan said following Tuesday’s morning’s optional skate. “He can, first and foremost, play the type of game we’re trying to play. He brings a lot of speed to his game. He has the ability to finish. He’s a good goal scorer.
“He has good offensive instincts but he also has awareness away from the puck, which is an important aspect in winning. We think he can help us in a lot of capacities.”
Rakell, 28, has scored 16 goals in 51 games this season and assisted 12 more.
How the former first-round pick fits into the Penguins’ lineup will be interesting. In all likelihood, he will start on Evgeni Malkin’s right wing, flanked on the other side by Danton Heinen. But there could be some fluidity. Sullivan was non-committal on where Rakell will play Tuesday morning.
“There will, without a doubt, be an adjustment process for him and for us,” Sullivan said. “Our challenge is to figure it out as quickly as we can.”
Rakell will be coming to a new team, a new system, on the other side of the country. So not overwhelming a player with too much is paramount to Sullivan.
“There’s always that fine line as a coaching staff,” Sullivan said. “We don’t want to give them too much information where we paralyze them with information. But we give them sufficient information that they understand how we’re trying to play.
“We’re going to try to find that sweet spot. But my experience has always been that less is more in these circumstances.”
The Penguins and Blue Jackets well drop the puck at 7 p.m. Tuesday.