It's early in camp, but the Pittsburgh Penguins lineup is starting to become more clear.

The opening day of the Pittsburgh Penguins training camp has come and gone, and with it came a few surprises. Jake Guentzel skated ahead of practice with a handful of injured players as he rehabs an ankle injury that required surgery in August.

Penguins' PTO defenseman Mark Pysyk spent some time next to Erik Karlsson during the first scrimmage of camp. But through the chaos of day one of camp, head coach Mike Sullivan began building chemistry between certain duos.

New faces paired with incumbent Penguins, such as Ryan Graves with Kris Letang and Reilly Smith with Evgeni Malkin. While those duos project to play together for some time, bottom-six forwards provide the most intrigue at camp.

Lars Eller signed a two-year contract worth $2.45 million annually on the opening day of free agency in July. Penguins' President of Hockey Ops and General Manager Kyle Dubas, and Eller himself, acknowledged that the Danish forward will assume the third-line center position for the Penguins this season.

The question remaining was, "Who will flank him on the wings?" We may have some clarity on that after day one. Eller spent his first day with the Penguins playing with Drew O'Connor and Rickard Rakell.

Since signing with the Penguins, O'Connor's role has steadily expanded over his first three seasons. Last season, he played a career-high 46 games with the Penguins, scoring 11 points (5G-6A).

His foot speed and tenacity on the forecheck have endeared him to Sullivan. And after signing a two-year extension this offseason, O'Connor is looking to become an everyday option for the Penguins' bottom six.

Eller spoke highly of his new linemate following practice yesterday. "He's an exciting player," Eller said. "I wasn't very familiar with (O'Connor), but I've been skating with him most of August. He's got a lot of qualities and seems like he's willing to learn."

Eller and O'Connor share similar qualities. They both have a knack for forechecking and play a solid 200-foot game. They fit perfectly into the archetype of player that Dubas and the Penguins targeted this offseason for the bottom six.

Rakell, on the other hand, is likely to find himself higher in the lineup. Sullivan referenced "competitive balance" as to why teams were constructed how they were. However, Rakell's presence gives us an idea of what type of player could slot in on Eller's right side.

With Eller and O'Connor both boasting defensive acumen, the Penguins could look for more of a playmaking winger with finishing ability to join them once the season draws closer. Players like Alex Nylander, Rem Pitlick, and Andreas Johnsson fit that mold.

Line combinations should be taken with a grain of salt at this stage, but the vision for what the Penguins' third line could become is beginning to take shape.

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