McCann will fill in for injured Malkin
Forward is returning from injury of his own
NEWARK, N.J. — For almost three days the hockey-loving people of Western Pennsylvania held their collective breath when Evgeni Malkin absorbed a hard hit Tuesday night against Boston.
The Penguins themselves didn’t have a definitive diagnosis until Friday morning. But after further evaluation the club now is classifying his lowerbody injury as “week-to-week.”
Considering the fact that just seven weeks remain on the shortened NHL calendar, coach Mike Sullivan was asked if he expects Malkin will be back before the end of the regular season. The coach said there is a “strong possibility.”
“Obviously, when you lose Geno, it’s a tough loss from our standpoint for everything he brings to our team,” Sullivan said. “But we’re certainly encouraged that we’ll get him back hopefully in a timely fashion.”
Malkin’s collision with Boston’s Jarred Tinordi came just as the big Russian was beginning to hit his stride. After a sluggish start to the season, Malkin was in the midst of a surge in which he racked up 17 points in 15 games. Pittsburgh had won 11 games in that span, including six in a row before the streak was snapped Tuesday and the star injured.
“That was one of the things I reiterated to him in the text I sent him, how disappointed I was for him in this circumstance because he’s played so well for us as of late,” Sullivan said. “He’s developed a lot of chemistry with [Kasperi Kapanen]. Those guys have been really good for us. We’re hopeful that we’ll get him back in a timely fashion and he can continue to build on the progress that they’ve made.”
While in many ways the timing is unfortunate, there might be one slight silver lining.
Just as Malkin exits the lineup, it appears Jared McCann is poised for a return. The 24-year-old Canadian centered the second line Friday at practice, skating between Brandon Tanev and Kapanen. Officially, the Penguins are calling McCann a “game-time decision” for Saturday afternoon’s game against the Devils.
“I’m ready to step in,” McCann said. “I’ve been waiting for an opportunity. Just excited to be out there.”
For McCann, this is a chance to rise to the occasion and help the Penguins weather an injury storm. At the same time, for a player whose position has been changed, redefined and questioned, it might be one of his last opportunities to truly take control of a full-time role in the middle.
From the time he was a kid, McCann played center. And that’s it.
But when McCann was acquired Feb. 1, 2019 from the Florida Panthers, the Penguins envisioned him using that speed on the wing. He has bounced back and forth between positions often over the past twoplus years — a malleable puzzle piece who still doesn’t have a clearly defined position. Sullivan and McCann called the forward a “natural center” Friday.
“The versatility that Jared brings to our team we think is really beneficial in
cases like this,” Sullivan said. “If we run into circumstances where we’re injured at the center-ice position, he’s a guy we can put into that circumstance and he has a comfort level being there.”
The situation was remarkably similar last season, but with the other star center sidelined.
During Sidney Crosby’s absence, McCann was elevated on the depth chart and on the stat sheet. He centered the second line and did so quite well. Even though he didn’t necessarily play alongside the most talented wingers (hey, remember Alex Galchenyuk?), McCann racked up 8 goals and 8 assists in 28 games.
He fit so well at center that even once the Penguins emerged on the other side of their injury stretch, they decided it was worth giving McCann a chance to center his own line in the playoffs.
That didn’t end the best. McCann ended up becoming a healthy scratch for
one of the four playoff games.
This year, McCann looked as if he had once again found some of the scoring touch that was missing at the end of last season. But adversity instead manifested itself in the form of injuries.
His season to date is a bit of a whirlwind. He had two goals through 11 games, missed seven with a lower-body injury, returned to find a hole on the second line, capitalized on the chance to score three goals in six games, and then went out for the next five with an upper-body injury.
Now, he’s back, he’s healthy and he’s got a golden opportunity ahead of him.
“Mentally it was very, very tough,” McCann said. “I had just gotten back from an injury, to get hurt again was tough. But it was not something I could control. I’m feeling good now and I’m looking forward to the future here.”