Pittsburgh Penguins LW Jake Guentzel discusses his decision to have offseason ankle surgery. You’d think with under a week until the regular season that the Pittsburgh Penguins would be darn close to finalizing their opening night roster. As it turns out, Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan believes there are still roster spots up for grabs, especially among to the forward group. “I don’t know if I can give you a definitive number of how many spots are open,” Sullivan said. “But, there’s a few. We’ve got a number of guys that are competing for those spots.” The Penguins initially invited 58 players to the 2023 training camp, 33 of them forwards, and will have to trim the roster to 12 or 13 before the season starts. At this moment, 22 names reaming; about 10 players are still in the battle for just a handful of bottom six roles. Sullivan said it won’t be easy cutting certain guys from the lineup, but they are doing what they can to build the best roster possible. “There will be a point here, very shortly, where we’re going to have to make some very difficult decisions,” Sullivan said. “We’re trying to do our very best to reserve judgment and let players play. Try to make the best decision for the organization.” Among the players still vying for spots is still a healthy mix of veterans, youngsters, and newcomers as the final two preseason games near. With some recent recalls from the Penguins AHL roster, it seems likely that those looking for roles will get at least one last opportunity in game action. Some of the key names to keep an eye on in possibly their final audition include Alex Nylander, Radim Zohorna, Vinnie Hinostroza, and Sam Poulin. Professional tryout contracts to Colin White and Austin Wagner are still around and they could find their way into a full deal. The stars are in place on the Penguins roster, but there will be some competitive battles for depth roles up until the bitter end. Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguins [http://insidethepenguins.com/]for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more. Penguins vs. Red Wings: Sharpening Up [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/pens-talk/pittsburgh-penguins-detroit-red-wings-sharpening-up] Penguins Waivers Claim Has Real Chance at Roster [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/pens-talk/pittsburgh-penguins-jansen-harkins-chance-roster] Penguins Recall Another Defenseman from AHL [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/news/pittsburgh-penguins-recall-xavier-ouellet-ahl] Penguins' Winger Chasing Elusive Milestone [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/podcasts/pittsburgh-penguins-bryan-rust-chasing-elusive-milestone] Penguins Defenseman Out Day-to-Day with Lower-Body Injury [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/news/pittsburgh-penguins-po-joseph-out-injury] * undefined * undefined Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAwNTkwMDEyNjI0OTM4MzYw/img_6014.jpg]
