Carter fills thin ranks at center
Gaudreau latest hit by an injury, require IR stay
The Penguins have lost another center. This time it is Frederick Gaudreau, such a pleasant surprise these last few weeks, who is ticketed for injured reserve.
Coach Mike Sullivan said after Tuesday’s off-ice workout that his status is week to week after he was injured in Sunday’s win over the New Jersey Devils.
So with Gaudreau sidelined, Evgeni Malkin’s return date still in question and Mark Jankowski having underwhelmed this season, the decision of which spot Sullivan would first slot in deadline pick-up Jeff Carter just lost a lot of intrigue.
“Our first inclination is to try Jeff at the center position, specifically because we think we need that at this particular point in time given the circumstances of the injuries,” he said. “That’s a direct need that we think he can help us with.”
Carter, 36, has predominantly played center throughout his NHL career. But in the past two seasons, the Los Angeles Kings shifted him over to wing. In 40 games with L.A. in 2021, the righty had eight goals, 19 points and a minus-6 rating.
Sullivan suggested Carter could be a candidate to play right wing whenever the Penguins start to get injured players, namely Malkin, back in the lineup. Either way, the coach believes Carter’s versatility will be “a bonus for our team.”
“It gives us the ability as a coaching staff to move people around from the center position to the wing position to look for combinations that are complementary and help us create the balance that’s necessary to win consistently,” he said.
The recent play of Gaudreau had helped Sullivan and the Penguins discover some balance. But he was lost in the second period of Sunday’s win in New Jersey.
Gaudreau, who has a lower-body injury, made his Penguins debut on March 18. In 13 games, he had one goal, four points and a plus-2 rating. He also won 53.6% of his faceoffs and helped the penalty kill thrive despite the loss of Brandon Tanev and Teddy Blueger, the latter of whom got back in the lineup Sunday.
The former Nashville Predators forward performed so well he jumped Jankowski on the depth chart. Jankowski was the healthy scratch once Blueger returned.
After Sullivan shared that disappointing news about Gaudreau, the coach had an “encouraging” update on Kasperi Kapanen. He skated Tuesday on an individual basis for the first time since taking a puck to the lower leg on March 24.
“We’ll see how he responds but certainly that’s encouraging,” Sullivan said.
General manager Ron Hextall said Monday that the Penguins expected the winger back in 10 to 14 days. That would be a couple of weeks before the playoffs.
Hextall on Monday also expressed optimism that Malkin will return before the playoffs. Sullivan said Malkin again skated on an individual basis Tuesday.
When Malkin returns, the Penguins could have five NHL-caliber centers, including Malkin and the red-hot Jared McCann. So somebody would need to move to the wing. The next two weeks could determine if that is Carter or McCann.
“We have some ideas of where we’ll start but also where we can eventually move to and then we’ll see how it goes,” Sullivan said. “But we’re excited about adding Jeff to the roster here and we’ll see where it goes moving forward.”
Sullivan added: “We think Jeff is going to fit into this group in a seamless way. He’s a great teammate. He’s a real good person. He has a great track record.”