Rickard Rakell Takes Reps on Penguins First Line
A familiar, but unexpected face might take over on the Pittsburgh Penguins first line during Jake Guentzel's absence.
Not matter where he has been in the lineup, Rickard Rakell has seen plenty of success since joining the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Rakell spent much of the season on the Penguins first line last year with Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel, but he was just as good on the second line with Evgeni Malkin.
Much of the same is expected from Rakell this season, but there has been genuine questions where in the lineup he will start.
At the beginning of training camp, Rakell saw some time with Drew O’Connor and Lars Eller on what could be labeled as a third line.
Following a few preseason games, and almost a week of training camp, Rakell has been pushed back up to the first line, but not in place of Rust.
The Penguins will start the season without Guentzel in their lineup as he recovers from offseason ankle surgery.
It hasn’t been clear who will take his place to start the season, but in the most recent line combinations put together by head coach Mike Sullivan, Rakell is a new option.
Rakell skated with Crosby as his center and Rust on the opposite wing; surely not many believed this could be an option, but Sullivan has expressed a lot of interest recently about guys having the ability to play both sides of the rink.
On the opening day of camp, Sullivan said not to read much into the lines he put together, but after a round of cuts and some preseason action, the team is slowly taking shape.
As the regular season approaches, the line combinations become more legitimate.
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