Penguins’ Bjugstad has new roles: Father, penalty killer
Nick Bjugstad probably won’t experience a two-month stretch like the one he went through at the end of the 2018-19 season … and that’s a good thing.
After playing nearly seven full seasons with one organization, the Florida Panthers, Bjugstad was traded just before the deadline to the Penguins. Uprooting a family and changing teams can be a hectic moment for any player.
Now, add a sevenmonth pregnant wife, Jackie, to the equation.
“That was probably the hardest part,” Bjugstad said. “The transition for me was fairly easy.
“It was a little challenging switching doctors and everything. She’s a great spouse. She tagged along with me and put up with me. The whole experience was crazy. We’ll remember it for our entire life.”
Shortly after the Penguins lost in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup playoffs, Jackie gave birth to a healthy baby girl. All at once, Bjugstad had a new city, a new team and a new baby.
Now, after making it through that crazy two-month period, two minutes of chaos should be nothing, right?
That’s the task ahead of the 27 -year-old from Minnesota this season, as the first-time dad adds “penalty killer” to his job description. It’s a new responsibility for him. But it’s also a role he’s eager to fill.
“You’ve got to take it where you can get it,” Bjugstad said. “I just want to help the team in whatever way I can. Anytime time I’m on the ice, I’m trying to contribute. I’ll do what I have to do.”
After joining the Penguins in February, Bjugstad recorded 14 points (9 goals, 5 assists) in 32 games. The rationale for playing Bjugstad on the penalty-killing unit for the first time this season is twofold.
First, it’s a way to get the thirdline center some more playing time. While Bjugstad will play on the second power-play unit, the Penguins’ top power-play unit should get the lion’s share of the minutes. Killing penalties will help keep Bjugstad in the rhythm of the game.
“If there’s a ton of penalties and you’re sitting on the bench a little bit, you’re getting cold,” Bjugstad said. “You want to be out there trying to help your team. If it’s penalty killing, I’m all for it.”
The second reason for playing Bjugstad on the PK is more straightforward: He should be good at it.
“He has all the attributes to be a good penalty killer,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “He got a long reach. He’s a mobile guy. He’s got good hockey sense.”
Last season, the Penguins killed 79.9 percent of their penalties, which ranked 19th-best in the NHL. With Matt Cullen now retired and penalty-killing specialist Brandon Tanev joining the team, the unit should look fairly different this season, at least in terms of personnel.
There’s a bit of a learning process for Bjugstad in his new role. It has made this training camp more important than the average preseason would be for a veteran such as Bjugstad. The biggest thing, he said, is to avoid getting over eager. Instead of chasing the puck like he would in a five-on-five situation, he said the key is to be a little more patient in the passing lanes.
“I’m still learning on the systems part of it,” Bjugstad said. “The coaches have done a really good job of talking to us. Matt Cullen [who is now in a player development role] has been quite a bit of help. Hopefully I can excel in that role and help the team out in that area.”
With last year’s changes in the rearview mirror, Bjugstad can focus on the future and the season ahead. As he settles into the new city and new team, he’s hoping to add some new jewelry to his collection soon.
“I’m definitely happy where I ended up and that I got traded here,” he said. “This is a good team. ... A top-notch organization . ... ”