Rickard Rakell wants to show he can do more with the Penguins

Like most people with a vested interest in the Pittsburgh Penguins, Rickard Rakell was pretty happy when word came out late Tuesday night that superstar forward Evgeni Malkin would re-sign with the club.

Rakell’s enthusiasm, however, was somewhat selfish.

That’s because Malkin might be Rakell’s regular center moving forward.

“I was super happy to see that he signed his contract as well,” Rakell said via video conference Wednesday. “And obviously, for him, just excitement. For the two of us, if we can find some more chemistry and get some more time and training camp and get to know each other a little bit better, I think it can be real, really good. He is such a great player and, yeah, just got to find a way to be successful with him.”

Rakell enjoyed some success with the Penguins after they acquired him at the trade deadline in March. That’s why the 29-year-old received a contract extension Monday, a six-year agreement that carries an annual salary cap hit of $5 million. The deal also carries a modified no-trade clause.

Last season, Rakell appeared in 70 games between the Anaheim Ducks as well as the Penguins and scored 41 points (20 goals, 21 assists). With the Penguins, he played in 19 games and posted 13 points (four goals, nine assists).

Conceivably, Rakell could have commanded a larger contract — term or salary — had he reached the open market when the NHL’s free agent signing period opened Wednesday.

Rakell had other considerations on his mind beyond the tangible details of his contract.

“Well, I think a big thing for me was having the chance to win,” Rakell said. “I had a really good feeling about the Penguins the second when I got there last season. For me, it’s a package thing. Like, I want to be in a great organization with great teammates. It’s a great opportunity for me. And I got it now. So I’m super thankful for a pretty great opportunity, and I’m super excited to just get going again.”

It’s been a busy handful of weeks for Rakell since the Penguins’ season came to an end in May with a loss to the New York Rangers in the first round of the playoffs.

Before signing his new contract, he returned home to California and, along with his wife, Emmeli, welcomed the birth of a daughter, Daisy.

“Yeah, it’s been really eventful,” Rakell said. “Daughter came three weeks ago, and it’s been life-changing for sure. It’s been great. It’s been kind of good, actually, just getting our mind off everything else with the contract situation and all that. So it’s been really fun, and she’s doing great so far. The dogs seem to like her and, yeah, they’re all getting along, so it’s been awesome.”

The Penguins are hoping — planning, more accurately — on some awesome things from Rakell. They dealt a heavy price to acquire him March 21 (a second-round pick in this year’s draft, goaltending prospect Calle Clang a well aslong with reserve forwards Zach Aston-Reese and Dominik Simon) then paid a big price to keep him Monday.

“We really like his game,” Penguins general manager Ron Hextall said. “He can score goals, but he can also make plays. So we can feel he can play either wing. With injuries and whatnot, it’s always hard to predict who’s going to be in the lineup. We just felt like he was a real good piece for us moving forward that gives us versatility.”

That versatility allowed him to play a handful of contests with the team’s other franchise center, Sidney Crosby, when injuries hit the lineup late in the regular season. That union is something Penguins coaches could — and probably will — turn to next season.

“We had some really good games together,” Rakell said. “He is really easy to play with. I just tried to stay open. He plays really fast, fast game, and he can find you whenever you’re in a good scoring position. That was just my experience of playing with him. I just basically just keep my stick on the ice and be ready and just try to relax and play my kind of game. And it usually ends up pretty good.”

Things were pretty far from good for Rakell in the playoffs. He was struck in the head by Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren on a violent check in Game 1 and did not play again until Game 7. He did not record a point in either contest.

“For myself, I had a pretty disappointing ending to this season with the injuries and all of that,” Rakell said. “And I didn’t feel like I could help the team the way I wanted. At the same time, it gives you motivation for next season just to see how and feel how good we can be as a team and see where it could take us. And I’m just happy to be a part of it. And I hope that, yeah, I can really contribute to this team and organization.”

He will have the benefit of a training camp in September to fully acclimate himself to his surroundings in Pittsburgh. Rakell thinks that luxury will all him to accomplish substantial things as a member of the Penguins.

“Just get a full training camp, get to know everyone, learn the system a little bit better and, hopefully, just being able to work on chemistry. … I’m just super excited about this opportunity,” Rakell said. “I had so much fun playing with this team in that short, short period of time last year. And I’m just super excited to see where we can go from here and how I can like elevate my type of game and just help as much as I can.”

Note: Forward Anthony Angello, a fifth-round pick (No. 145 overall) in 2014 who spent parts of the past three seasons with the Penguins, signed a one-year, two-way contract with the St. Louis Blues.

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