With the Pittsburgh Penguins scheduled to open training camp Wednesday, here is a position-by-position look at their roster. Today, a glance at their right wingers.
There wasn’t much that could stop Bryan Rust last season.
Except for Bryan Rust.
The mostly reliable and versatile right winger rebounded from a lackluster 2022-23 campaign by establishing a career-high in 2023-24 with 28 goals along with 56 points.
He might have had even more prolific totals had he not been sidelined for 20 games because of a laundry list of injuries.
Rust plays a fairly fearless game and, at 31, injuries are more of a reality than a possibility. But there’s little to suggest he won’t reach the 20-goal barrier for a sixth consecutive season as the team’s top right winger.
Injuries took a toll on Rickard Rakell, who struggled throughout much of 2023-24. Specifically, a right shoulder ailment that sidelined him throughout November and December never fully recovered. But even before he was injured, Rakell had troubles producing on the second line.
Despite those struggles, Rakell appears to be secure in opening this season on the starboard side of the second line.
Valtteri Puustinen experienced growing pains as he broke through as a full-time NHLer last season. While there were flashes of what made him a dangerous offensive threat in the AHL, he wasn’t terribly consistent throughout 2023-24.
Regardless, he offers plenty of intrigue and is one of the favorites to land a spot on the third line.
Arguably the Penguins’ biggest offseason acquisition was prospect Rutger McGroarty. Acquired via trade with the Winnipeg Jets, the 14th overall selection of the 2022 NHL Draft, McGroarty has experience at both wings as a power forward.
Given that he has no professional experience as of yet, opening the season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton might be best for his development.
Newcomer Anthony Beauvillier, a free agent signing in July, can play on either wing and has enough talent as a first-round pick (No. 28 overall in 2015 by the New York Islanders) to merit consideration for any hole in the lineup on the flanks.
The Penguins brought Jesse Puljujarvi in as a reclamation project last December, and he largely used the remainder of the season as a proving ground to show he is still an NHL-caliber player after major surgery on both hips.
The fourth overall selection in the 2016 NHL Draft by the Edmonton Oilers, Puljujarvi offers enough skill and size (6-foot-4, 201 pounds) to merit a spot in any lineup, even if just as a bottom-six entity.
When healthy, Noel Acciari was a perfectly serviceable fourth-line center last season, but with the arrival of fellow center Kevin Hayes via trade in June, Acciari seems destined to slide to the right wing (as suggested by president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas). If so, Acciari will be one of the team’s leading forecheckers from that station.
Emil Bemstrom is something of a question mark if only because it’s curious where he may merit a spot in the lineup.
Acquired via trade in February, Bemstrom displayed little to suggest he’s a threat to be one of this team’s 12 best forwards. He’ll need a strong preseason to prove otherwise.
Management acquired Cody Glass from the Nashville Predators via trade in August, primarily to also accrue future draft picks. He largely split the 2023-24 season between center and right wing. With the Penguins well-stocked at center, Glass likely will have to find a role on the right wing to crack this lineup.
Dubas and company are captivated by Ville Koivunen, one of the prospects who came from the Carolina Hurricanes in March as part of the blockbuster trade that jettisoned All-Star forward Jake Guentzel.
But given he has very limited experience in North America, the Finn will likely open the season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.