Jake Guentzel has been penciled in on the Penguins' No. 1 power-play unit for the coming season, just as Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang have been.
That's a fairly logical, even obvious, move, considering that Guentzel was on pace to record his second consecutive 40-goal season before suffering a shoulder injury that had to be surgically repaired.
But while Guentzel is assured of a spot on the top power play, precisely where he will be deployed isn't clear just yet.
One possibility, coach Mike Sullivan said, is that he will assume the net-front role Patric Hornqvist held for most of the past six seasons.
Guentzel's game is built on considerably more finesse than that of Hornqvist, who was traded to Florida in September, but he is as fearless as Hornqvist, who has made a living creating mayhem around opponents' creases.
"Jake is one of the best net-front guys on our team," Sullivan said. "Has been for the last few years. For an undersized guy, he plays the game with a lot of courage and he's an ultra-competitive guy.
"He has the stick skills and the talent to win puck battles and he has the finishing ability in tight, around the net. When you look at the amount of goals Jake has scored within two feet of the blue paint, it's fair to say that he's pretty good in that area. He's certainly an option."
How Guentzel would execute his net-front duties is hard to say, but it's easy to envision him setting up a bit farther from the crease than Hornqvist -- who generally has a pretty good sense of what cologne the opposing goaltender is wearing before the power play is 15 seconds old -- but his ability to deflect shots and convert rebounds could make him a lethal presence there.
It's worth noting that settling on Hornqvist's net-front replacement will not be the only issue before new assistant coach Todd Reirden, who has primary responsibility for the power play, and the rest of the staff when on-ice workouts begin Monday at PPG Paints Arena.
A number of players are expected to audition for the fifth spot on the No. 1 unit, and who is chosen likely will influence the precise niches at lease some of the other members will fill when the regular season begins Jan. 13 in Philadelphia.
"We have to look at is who that fifth guy is going to be, and how that impacts the look we're in," Sullivan said. "Bryan Rust has deserved an opportunity, with how well he played last year for us and how many goals he scored. He's also a right-handed shot. I think Kasperi Kapanen is another one. He's a right-handed shot.
"Jason Zucker is a left-handed shot. I think Jared McCann is a very good power-play player. He's really good on the flank position. There's just a handful right there who could potentially be the guys who make up that No. 1 unit."
Although settling on the personnel who will work the power play is critical, Reirden's guidance also will play a critical role if the Penguins are to improve on their dishwater-dull conversion rate of 19.9 percent last season.
"I think Todd's going to bring some new ideas, some new vocabulary, a different voice and I think that's good for the team," Sullivan said. "I think that's good for the power play. I think that's good for the players."
Of course, it will help a lot if those players actually can stay off the injured list, something that was a recurring problem in 2019-20.
"Because of all the injuries we went through, we really didn't even have the top four on the ice for any length of time," Sullivan said. "Never mind trying to find that fifth guy. I'm hoping that this year, we can stay healthy and we can establish a foundation with the group we have."