The Pittsburgh Penguins need to turn to their AHL team for bottom six production.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have lost six straight games, and there are problems throughout the lineup. You can point to a lack of production all over the lineup, with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Jake Guentzel all in various scoring droughts. What stands out as a deeper issue, however, is the totally invisible bottom six.
With the exception of improved play from Kasperi Kapanen and an offensive outburst from Brock McGinn, the bottom six forwards struggle to put the puck in the net and aren't pulling their weight defensively.
To make matters worse, the team's salary cap situation is tenuous, leaving them little wiggle room to acquire another impact forward. Because of this, the Pens may need to look to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for reinforcements on then bottom six.
The Penguins already have one of the top scorers on their AHL squad in the NHL, when they recalled Drew O'Connor. He's been largely ineffective in a very sheltered role, with one goal in seven games this season. Besides O'Connor, however, the Baby Pens have three other forwards that could provide a spark to the big club's bottom six.
Valtteri Puustinen
The most talented player on the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton roster is Valtteri Puustinen. The 23-year-old leads the team in scoring with 13 goals and 26 points in 30 games. He's a skilled and slightly undersized forward, who would bring an offensive game to the Penguins.
Puustinen can't contribute on the penalty kill and the weakest part of his game is defensive presence, both of which are a big reason he hasn't gotten a longer look in the NHL. If the Penguins want to add a scorer with a really smart offensive game, they should recall Puustinen immediately. He could replace Danton Heinen easily.
Alex Nylander
The player with the most NHL success on WBS is former Buffalo Sabres first round pick, Alex Nylander. At 24-years-old he has 84 games played in the NHL and has 32 points in that span. Nylander is the second leading scorer on the AHL club, with 12 goals and 25 points in 29 games this season.
Nylander plays a very similar game to Puustinen. He's a right-handed, offensively minded playmaker. What stands out about Nylander is his power play abilities, as well. Six of his goals this season have come on the power play, and he loves to use his sneaky yet powerful release to let shots rip with the man-advantage.
Nylander is also similar to Puustinen in regards to their defensive game. While Nylander has more experience in the NHL, a knock on him has always been his focus and awareness in the defensive zone. He wouldn't receive any penalty killing time, but that's not why he should be called up. He could bring a speed scoring element to the third or fourth line that can help get more production.
Filip Hallander
Perhaps the player who best fits the Penguins' current needs is Filip Hallander. At 23-years-old, Hallander plays a two-way game. He was described as a "Patric Hornqvist" type of player during his draft year, and he certainly plays the game with a similar intensity. Hallander has also brought his offensive game up a level this season, with 24 points in 25 games played. He will eclipse his career high marks in all offensive categories this season if he plays the rest of the year in WBS.
There's reason to believe he won't be there too much longer though. Hallander's defensive responsibility, ability to play on the penalty kill, and forechecking capabilities, are endearing qualities.
Head coach Mike Sullivan clearly wants his third and fourth lines to be ones he trusts to deploy in defensive zone draws, and Hallander would fit in line with that approach. He'd also bring that improved offensive instinct to whatever line he's on and hopefully provide a spark of offense.
One thing is very clear: the Penguins need some help to break their second lengthy losing streak of the season. These three players could add something different to the lineup and a youthful energy that this team desperately needs. It remains unclear what, if any, changes are coming, but a call-up or two from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton could provide a potential solution.
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