Nick Bonino eager to make some new memories with Penguins
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Nick Bonino’s memory was a bit fuzzy.
A gulf of almost six years will do that.
He was a bit unsure of how to find his way to PPG Paints Arena for practice Monday.
“I had my maps app,” Bonino quipped. “So, I was OK.”
Cartological concerns noted, the important memories of his first two seasons with the Penguins remain intact.
The ones of him being a vital component of back-to-back Stanley Cup championship teams are secured in a place he won’t lose track of.
“Happy to be back,” the new-but-old Pittsburgh Penguins forward said after Monday’s practice. “It’s nice to see these surroundings. A lot of memories on the wall.”
On the hallway from the Penguins’ dressing room to the home bench at PPG Paints Arena are murals of the Penguins’ five Stanley Cup championship teams. Bonino is included in the two most recent entries in that wonderful tapestry from 2016 and 2017.
As center of the famed HBK Line — which included wingers Carl Hagelin and Phil Kessel — Bonino helped give the Penguins ample scoring depth while aiding tons of bootleg T-shirt sales.
In the 2017 offseason, he parlayed that success into a lucrative four-year contract with the Nashville Predators (whom the Penguins beat for the Stanley Cup that year). After three seasons with the Predators, he made stops with the Minnesota Wild and San Jose Sharks before being reacquired by the Penguins via trade Friday.
What kind of player did the Penguins bring back?
“Not much changed, to be honest,” Bonino said. “I feel good. My body feels great. I try to skate even more. I’m moving my feet. I’m thinking the game the same. Just more experienced, I guess.”
Bonino made his (re)debut for the Penguins on Saturday. During a 4-1 road loss to the Florida Panthers, he logged 11 minutes, 52 seconds of ice time on 19 shifts (including 4:36 on the penalty kill), recorded one shot on two attempts and was 5 for 11 (45%) on faceoffs.
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One change for Bonino since his first stint with the Penguins is he has picked up more experience as a winger. He has spent much of this season with the Sharks as a wing and even skated on the left wing of the fourth line in Monday’s practice.
“They had some good centers everywhere I went,” Bonino said. “I enjoy the wing, but I enjoy center. Anywhere you need me.”
That versatility is what appealed to the Penguins when they brought back Bonino while also trading for forward Mikael Granlund, who is capable of playing center and both wing positions.
“It’s invaluable,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “Versatility is such an important part of a competitive roster. When you have guys that can play center, can play the wing, can kill penalties, can move up and down the lineup depending on what the needs of the team are, I think that versatility is essential to having a team compete at the highest level. That’s something that we’ve always prided ourselves (on).”
An area one might assume Bonino takes pride in is his production. Despite predominantly being a bottom-six forward who receives limited power-play time, he has reached double-digit goals in seven consecutive seasons, including two that were shortened in some regard by the pandemic.
But Bonino, who has 10 goals and 19 points in 60 games this season, offered a sharp critique in his goal-scoring acumen.
“I’m like consistently inconsistent every year,” Bonino said. “It took me 20 games to score a goal this year. Then I scored 10 (goals) in 40 (games). It seems to be every year where I go through spurts I wished I scored more often. But at the end of the year, it always kind of evened out. The points aren’t always consistent. But I think my game is. Whether I’m scoring or not, I try to be effective, whether it’s on the (penalty) kill, in the (defensive) zone, on faceoffs, takeaways, blocking, whatever I can do to help. It’s not always goal scoring.”
That approach is what motivated Penguins management to bring him back.
“I try to play the same way all year,” Bonino said. “I feel like I feel comfortable with the position the Penguins are in. Just here to do anything I can to help.”