Reconfiguration of 4th line one of Sullivan’s key tasks
CHICAGO — The final 20 games of the regular season won’t simply be about which Penguins defensemen are healthy and who earns the top six spots entering the postseason.
With Eric Fehr now a Toronto Maple Leaf, the Penguins have an opening on their fourth line. And with Conor Sheary set to return as early as Friday night from an upper-body injury, their forward lines could take on a different look by this time next week.
“It’s important,” coach Mike Sullivan said of building a fourth line. “We have a lot of young guys that we think are knocking on the door that have an opportunity to move into that position.”
When Sheary returns, he will reclaim his spot to the left of Sidney Crosby, likely bumping Chris Kunitz back into the bottom six.
Sullivan could choose to use Kunitz with Nick Bonino and Phil Kessel on the third line, but Scott Wilson seemingly has found a home there; he has points in five of his past seven games, including a goal Wednesday at Chicago.
Wilson, a left-handed shot, also has fared better on his natural side, despite his insistence he can play either side. Kunitz is exclusively a left winger.
The solution is likely for Kunitz to play with Matt Cullen on the fourth line, leave Wilson, Bonino and Kessel together and hope Tom Kuhnhackl matches his production from late last season when he formed an effective fourth line with Fehr and Cullen.
If that doesn’t work, two other young guys, Carter Rowney and Oskar Sundqvist, make Sullivan comfortable, and he could put either one there. Given Jake Guentzel’s chemistry with Crosby and his ability to play an offensive game, it’s highly doubtful he will fall out of the top six.
Fehr, Cullen and Kuhnhackl gave the Penguins a decided advantage, a fourth line that not only could check and hang onto the puck but chip in offensively from time to time. Kuhnhackl’s penalty-killing ability — and utter disregard for his body while blocking shots — figures to give him the inside track.
“‘Fehrsy’ was a good player for us,” Sullivan said. “He was a solid two-way player. He played in a lot of situations. That line in particular was really important in how we game-planned against other teams. It will provide opportunities for some of the young players who have developed and have success to help this team win.”
Quenneville a Sullivan fan
It was only one year, but Sullivan seemingly made a pretty good impression on Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville.
After Sullivan and (head coach) John Tortorella were fired in Vancouver, Sullivan joined the Blackhawks as a player development coach for the 2014-15 season.
“‘Sully’ is a smart coach,” said Quenneville, who guided the Blackhawks to Stanley Cups in 2010, 2013 and 2015. “Plays a very straight-ahead … tactically plays a pressure game. They’re very direct in their team game. They work well together.
“I have to give him a lot of credit for coming in there in a tough situation and winning a Cup. Did an amazing job.
“He was around us for a little bit the year prior to that. It’s a very dangerous team. He’s done an excellent job in a short amount of time with that group. They’re equally dangerous this year.”
Sullivan has spoken positively about the experience on several occasions, one highlighted by the opportunity to strike up a relationship with legendary NHL coach Scotty Bowman.
It’s doubtful that experience alone helped Sullivan cultivate his current style, but being around a team like the Blackhawks surely didn’t hurt. The Penguins and Blackhawks play similar speed and skill games.
“When you look at Pittsburgh’s team last year, they had a heck of a finish,” Quenneville said. “They had speed. I think that was the one ingredient that stood out with why they were successful. This year, they’re equally as talented and a fast hockey club.
“If your team’s structured around speed, it’s a good weapon in the playoffs especially.”
Tight against the cap
Speaking of similarities between the Penguins and Chicago, the two franchises have four of the seven largest yearly salary-cap hits on their books: Patrick Kane ($10.5 million), Jonathan Toews ($10.5 million), Evgeni Malkin ($9.5 million) and Sidney Crosby ($8.7 million).
Furthermore, the teams have 11 players combined who count $5 million or more against the cap.
Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford, for one, doesn’t see a problem with that.
“A lot of organizations would like to be in the situation Chicago and Pittsburgh are in,” Rutherford said. “We’re very fortunate that we have the world-class players that we have. What you have to do is build around those guys. When you have those bigger contracts, you’re always going to be against the cap.”