Penguins’ bottom-6 forwards starting to offer more offensive contributions
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If his current gig as a shutdown defenseman doesn’t work out for Ryan Graves, he may have a future in scouting.
The Pittsburgh Penguins blueliner is as blunt and honest as he is lanky and tall (6-foot-6).
During the preseason, Graves, who left the New Jersey Devils and joined the Penguins as an unrestricted free agent in July, offered an assessment of what it was like to face the Penguins’ forward ranks during the 2022-23 season.
“In the past, when you look at (the Penguins), they were so top heavy,” Graves said Sept. 21, the first day of training camp in Cranberry. “With (Sidney Crosby’s) line, (Evgeni Malkin’s) line, you didn’t have to worry as much about the other lines.”
Oof.
Frank.
But accurate.
With some combination of Josh Archibald, Teddy Blueger, Nick Bonino, Jeff Carter, Mikael Granlund, Danton Heinen, Kasperi Kapanen, Brock McGinn, Drew O’Connor and Ryan Poehling, the Penguins’ bottom-six forwards were an unremarkable group last season.
That’s why Carter and O’Connor are the only members of that group who didn’t have to change zip codes over the past nine months.
After an offseason full of change in so many sectors of the organization, Carter and O’Connor are the lone holdovers from that motley crew, while the likes of Noel Acciari, Lars Eller and Matt Nieto were among the most notable free-agent signings the Penguins made over the summer.
Those augmentations are starting to bear fruit offensively.
In their past six games, the Penguins’ bottom-six forwards have contributed in some fashion to six of the team’s last 14 goals (42.8%), be it the goal itself or an assist.
The most recent of those scores came during a 4-2 comeback road win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday. Carter, currently on the fourth line, scored the eventual winning goal in the third period off a give-and-go sequence with Nieto.
It was Carter’s first goal of the season.
“We’re figuring each other out,” Nieto said after practice Monday. “Just trying to contribute and help as much as we can. We know those top guys are going to do what they do. It goes a long way when you can get some bottom-six production as well. We just have to try to continue that.”
Between Eller ($2.45 million), Acciari ($2 million), Nieto ($900,000) as well as spare parts Jansen Harkins ($850,000), Vinnie Hinostroza ($775,000) and Radim Zohorna ($775,000), the Penguins spent some significant capital to refurbish their bottom-six forwards. O’Connor, who was re-signed to a two-year contract worth $925,000 in August, probably should be included in the group as well, but for the past five games, he has been serving as a top-six winger because of injuries to some of the incumbents in that group.
Regardless, the Penguins, under newly installed president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas, made the bottom-six forwards a priority this past offseason.
“When I signed here and having conversations with (Dubas) and (coach Mike Sullivan), they addressed that and said it was a need,” Nieto said. “Pretty much told me what they wanted from me and how they think my game can help the team. I was aware of it when I signed. I’m sure everyone else that was brought in was aware of what was wanted from them as well.”
Eller probably has been the most consistent member of the bottom six. He leads the group with eight points (three goals, five assists) in 22 games.
For the bulk of the season, Eller’s linemates have been O’Connor and Zohorna.
“I like the amount of chances that we’ve been able to generate on a nightly basis, and at the same time, being pretty responsible in our own end,” Eller said of that trio. “I’d expect us to continue to keep chipping in. We need everybody to chip in if we’re going to have success long term.”
Up until this recent surge by the bottom-six forwards, which began during a 3-0 home win against the Vegas Golden Knights on Nov. 19, the contributions from that group were limited offensively. In the Penguins’ first 16 games of the season, seven of their 55 goals in those contests (12.7%) had a player who was primarily deployed as a bottom-six forward figure in on the scoring.
“It wasn’t kind of going our way (for) the bottom-six (forwards) early on,” Acciari said. “But we stuck with it. We’re starting to get the bounces, and we want to keep this rolling and help out. It’s a team game, and we need all four lines to contribute. When the big guys (don’t produce), we need to help pick up for them.”
Acciari did just that during a 3-2 home win against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Nov. 25. During that comeback victory, he scored the tying goal thanks in part to a forecheck and screen by Nieto.
Later in the contest, Acciari set a screen on the winning goal by defenseman Erik Karlsson, which Carter recorded a secondary assist on after winning a faceoff.
“(Twenty-two) games in, we all know the systems,” Acciari said. “We all know what the coaches are asking of us. It now falls to us to run with that.”
The Penguins didn’t bring in Acciari and company specifically to contribute offense. But it is a component of what is expected of them.
“You want to be in that position, right?” Eller said. “You want to have a significant role. Everybody wants to be a significant piece. You need contributions up and down your lineup. Everybody has to bring something.
“Some nights, it’s goals. Some nights, it’s big penalty kills and blocked shots. Some nights, it’s both.”
Notes: The Penguins assigned defenseman Will Butcher to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League. An unrestricted free-agent signing, he opened the season on the injured non-roster list due to an undisclosed ailment he suffered before training camp. … The Penguins had a scheduled day off Friday.