Penguins forward Rickard Rakell is ready to rebound from a rough 2023-24

Normally affable and insightful, Rickard Rakell is curt when asked to discuss his 2023-24 season.

And understandably so.

Despite regular deployment on the right wing of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ second line next to All-Star center Evgeni Malkin and occasional junkets on the top power-play unit, Rakell lurched through the campaign, posting a mere 37 points (15 goals, 22 assists) in 70 games.

It was a considerable decline from his sturdy effort in 2022-23 when he skated in all 82 games and scored 60 points (28 goals, 32 assists).

A right shoulder injury suffered in November — he was forced to wear a brace for the final four months of the season — didn’t help matters.

But he’s not interested in a pity party over the ailment. Or even discussing it at length.

“My health is great,” Rakell said. “My shoulder feels better than before. I feel great.

“It was a difficult injury. But at the same time, I don’t want to use it as an excuse. I’m not going to dwell about the past.”

That demeanor doesn’t surprise those closest to him.

“He’s very good at not lingering too much on any one thing,” said Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson, a fellow Swede. “Something happens, and he’s onto the next thing right away.”

The next thing appears to be similar to the previous thing for Rakell in that he has largely been skating next to the same players with whom he finished the 2023-24 season.

Along with Malkin, Rakell has been lined up with Michael Bunting throughout training camp, and that trio was intact to open a 2-1 preseason loss to the Detroit Red Wings at PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday. Rakell opened the scoring with his first goal of the preseason at 1 minute, 34 seconds of the second period.

RAK CITY!!! ???? pic.twitter.com/Ysl4Z2Mx9C

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) October 2, 2024

“I thought we did a good job creating turnovers and playing with confidence,” Rakell said when asked how that line performed in the late stages of last season. “And moving in the offensive zone, play fast, give-and-goes, shooting the puck, scoring all kinds of different goals.”

Rakell scored plenty of goals two seasons ago, his first full campaign with the team after signing a six-year contract extension with a salary cap hit of $5 million during the 2022 offseason.

Expectations of that type of production remain in place even after his ho-hum 2023-24 season.

“He’s an impact player for us, most specifically on the offensive side,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “We know he can score goals. He’s done it for us consistently in the past. When he’s a threat offensively more consistently, he helps us win games. That would be the expectation. I know (Rakell) is a proud guy. He cares about the Penguins, and he wants to be his best. I know he has high expectations of himself. Him and I have had multiple conversations around this subject.

“We think (Rakell) is a real good player, and we think he has the ability to play the game that we’re trying to play.”

Rakell remains steadfast in that pursuit.

“My expectations of myself is just trusting my game,” Rakell said. “Don’t change it. Do whatever I’m good at. I think that’s when I’m my best. Then I’m just going to work as hard as I can. Earn ice time and try to be the best player on our team.”

Those are high aspirations to be sure. But Rakell’s expectations for the team are even grander.

When he re-signed with the Penguins at what was perceived to be below-market value, he indicated his primary interest in remaining with the Penguins was he viewed the squad as a Stanley Cup contender.

“That hasn’t changed,” Rakell said. “It’s tough. Every year, we feel like if we just get in, nobody wants to play us. But we’ve been short by (a handful of) points or something like that these last two seasons. I liked how we played at the end of last year. If we play like that with the new guys that we have and the depth on our team, I think we’ll be a tough team to beat.”