PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Just joining the team before the game at Tampa Bay Thursday night, it appears forward Mikael Granlund will begin his Pens career as a winger.
Looking at the line combinations during the Pens morning skate on Thursday, Granlund was a right-winger on the third line with Jeff Carter in the middle and Danton Heinen on the left side.
“I think it will be a little bit of a work in progress,” said Pens head coach Mike Sullivan. “I know he’s a real mobile guy that has versatility to his game.
He can play all three forward positions. Our intent is to get him involved in the penalty kill right away and we will get him involved in one of the power plays as well. We are trying to do it in a way where we are not overloading him. That will be a little bit of a feeling out process.”
“We are excited to have him. We are looking forward to finding combinations that make us better and give us a chance to win.”
Jason Zucker played on a line with Granlund for six years in Minnesota. They were drafted the same year, played in the minors together and that continued with the Wild, where Granlund was a winger.
“I think he’s an unbelievably skilled player, but he can play all positions,” Zucker said. “He can play penalty-kill, power play. He’s a guy you love to have out there at the end of a game protecting a lead. He’s a guy that can play in a lot of different scenarios. I think it will be great for us.”
Granlund said he was surprised by the trade, that you don’t often see the moves coming. The 31-year-old described himself as a smart player who can play in a lot of different situations and positions. He said he’s played not only left-wing, but right-wing and center in his career.
“It’s really exciting,” Granlund said. “We all know the history this team has and the great things they’ve been doing. Hopefully we can make something special this season. I’m very excited about it. It’s a good team and good locker room.”
While not position for position, Granlund takes the spot of Teddy Blueger.
The five-year Pens veteran was traded to Las Vegas before the Granlund move was finalized to clear salary cap room.
“Teddy was a very good player for us,” Sullivan said. “He’s a smart player, a two-way player. I think the strength of his game was in his defense, penalty killing. Those are the areas where we will have to have guys fill in. Granlund is a guy who is a very good penalty killer.
That’s one option, Drew O’Connor is someone we could lean on.”
Line combinations (per Pens Inside Scoop)
Guentzel-Crosby-Rakell
Zucker-Malkin-Rust
Heinen-Carter-Granlund
Caggiula-O'Connor-Archibald
Dumoulin-Letang
Pettersson-Petry
Joseph-Rutta-Ruhwedel rotating