Penguins to Play Multiple Former Teammates With Canucks
There are a number of former Pittsburgh Penguins returning as members of the Vancouver Canucks.
PITTSBURGH – When the puck drops between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Vancouver Canucks, it’ll be more than just two teams battling for two points. The Penguins are welcoming back a number of former players that now suit up for the Canucks, and some of them are coming back for the first time.
The Canucks, led in the front office by president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford and general manager Patrik Allvin, are both former member of the Penguins organization. Rutherford helped lead the Penguins to a pair of Stanley Cup championships as GM and Allvin was an assistant GM.
Behind the Canucks bench stands a former Penguins player and assistant coach in Rick Tocchet. It’s his first full season with the Canucks and he’s turned the success of the team around in pretty short order.
Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan said that he isn’t surprised to see the kind of success Tocchet has had in Vancouver noting Tocchet loves to game and is open to learning new ideas.
“It doesn’t surprise me than Vancouver is having the success that they have with him at the helm,” Sullivan said. “He’s a great coach, he’s a great person. The other aspect of him, along with his humility, he’s also a guy that has strong convictions and is willing to hold people accountable.”
After a few additions over the offseason and even into the 2023-24 regular season, the Canucks lineup now features five players that have at one point suited up for the Penguins. Forwards Sam Lafferty and Teddy Blueger bolster the Canucks depth, while Ian Cole and Mark Friedman hold down the blue line.
Former Penguins backup goalie Casey DeSmith made his way to Vancouver and is having a great season behind a possible Vezina Trophy candidate in Thatcher Demko.
“A lot of old Penguins on that team,” Chad Ruhwedel said. “It’ll be a good test for us and we’re excited for it.”
According to Blueger, now a Stanley Cup champion, there was a pretty big reunion dinner in Pittsburgh featuring him, DeSmith, Lafferty, Ruhwedel, Bryan Rust, Jake Guentzel, Marcus Pettersson, Jeff Carter, and Tristan Jarry.
Evgeni Malkin quipped to Tocchet that Vancouver is ‘Penguins West’ and the battle should be an entertaining matchup for everyone involved.
The Canucks are going with Demko in net over DeSmith and Friedman also isn't expected to play in Pittsburgh. Cole is making his way back to the lineup after missing a game. Blueger is lining up on the Canucks third line and Lafferty as a fourth line winger.
Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguins for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more.
- Subscribe to Inside the Penguins on YouTube
- Follow Inside the Penguins on Twitter: @InsidePenguins