The Penguins' 10-day preseason begins Sunday at PPG Paints Arena.
How they answer some pressing questions during this abbreviated training camp could go a long way toward determining how much success they have during the 2020-21 season, which has been shortened to 56 games because of the pandemic.
Here are a half-dozen of the most important issues that should be addressed during camp:
1. How will Todd Reirden change the power play?
Reirden, fired as coach in Washington after last season, returns for a second stint as a Penguins assistant, with primary responsibility for the defense corps and the power play. And while there are some issues on the blue line that surely will command his attention -- more on one of those later -- the power play likely will be his top priority.
Or, at the very least, the part of his job that will be subject to the most intense scrutiny.
Reirden has not divulged his plans for the power play, but will have to make at least one personnel change because Patric Hornqvist was traded to Forida after being the net-front presence on the No. 1 unit for much of his six seasons with the Penguins. The Penguins do not have another forward who is as aggressive around the crease as Hornqvist -- very few clubs do -- so the choice to replace him in the net-front role could offer some insight on how Reirden plans to have the unit operate.
This much is certain: Whatever Reirden does, it is imperative that the power play be more efficient than it was in 2019-20, when it placed 16th in the league, with a conversion rate of 19.9 percent. With the skill level of the personnel the Penguins can deploy on the top man-advantage group, a success rate in the mid-20s is not an unrealistic objective.
2. How does Kasperi Kapanen fit on the top line?
The Penguins acquired Kapanen from Toronto in the belief that his speed and skill make him an ideal complement to Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel, who are fixtures on the first line.
If that's true -- and if the Penguins can avoid serious injuries among their top-six forwards -- there should be stability on the first two lines, because the Jason Zucker-Evgeni Malkin-Bryan Rust combination should mesh nicely.
However, if Kapanen doesn't work out with Crosby and Malkin, Mike Sullivan might be compelled to move several players around the top two lines, possibly putting one or more in different positions or adding someone like Jared McCann to the mix.
If Kapanen, whose arrival for camp from Finland has been complicated by immigration issues, jells with Crosby and Guentzel, it would allow the Penguins to invest a lot more time and energy in other areas that will require attention before the regular season opens Jan. 13 in Philadelphia.
3. Can the Mike Matheson-Cody Ceci pairing work?
The Penguins jettisoned their No. 3 defense pairing from last season, buying out Jack Johnson and allowing Justin Schultz to depart via free agency.
Rather than promoting Juuso Riikola and Chad Ruhwedel to those roles, they acquired Matheson from Florida in the Hornqvist trade and added Ceci via free agency.
Matheson's career with the Panthers started well and he was viewed as a core member of that team until he sputtered through the past few seasons. He skates well and has significant offensive abilities, but has been prone to making mistakes in his own end at times.
Ceci is coming off a forgettable season in Toronto, but the one-year deal he signed here gives him an opportunity to rebound -- and cash in as an unrestricted free agent next summer. He can move the puck effectively and owns a good shot from the point.
If the Matheson-Ceci tandem works out, the Penguins will have two capable, NHL-caliber defensemen available in Riikola and Ruhwedel to help them deal with whatever injuries come along over the course of the season.
4. What will the No. 3 line look like?
Perhaps the real question is, is the line that includes Teddy Blueger and Brandon Tanev (along with whoever fills in for Zach Aston-Reese) actually the No. 4 unit, or should it be classified as the third line?
Truth be told, the terminology really doesn't matter, which is why Mike Sullivan makes a point of not numbering his lines.
So call the bottom-six group that doesn't include Blueger and Tanev whatever you'd like; what really matters is who will play on it, and how effective the unit will be.
The thinking going into camp is that it will have Mark Jankowski in the middle, with McCann and Evan Rodrigues on the wings, although the line could be reconfigured during camp.
Regardless -- and even though the top two lines will shoulder primary responsibility for generating goals -- Jankowski and McCann will be looking to bounce back from disappointing offensive seasons. Both have proven capable of solid, if not spectacular, point production and are sound defensively.
The components are there for an effective third line. The challenge will be transforming that promise into performance.
5. What's the response to consecutive playoff humblings?
It's clear that people outside the locker room didn't take the Penguins' qualifying-round upset by Montreal well; Jim Rutherford pursued personnel moves aggressively and assistant coaches Jacques Martin, Mark Recchi and Sergei Gonchar were fired.
There's nothing wrong with any of that. Couple that embarrassing loss to the Canadiens with a Round 1 sweep by the New York Islanders a year earlier, and there's no question that whatever the Penguins were doing -- or whoever they were having do it -- wasn't working out.
But it's one thing for a GM and coach to be moved to action by a team's on-ice disappointments; what really matters is the reaction inside the locker room.
It's safe to assume that, when they begin to speak with reporters, players will solemnly intone that their objective for 2020-21, as always, is to win the Stanley Cup.
That's fine, of course, but the words are meaningless unless they're backed up by commitment and actions. And with core guys like Crosby, Malkin and Kris Letang moving into their mid-30s, the Penguins are running out of time to contend for the franchise's sixth Stanley Cup.
And that's if you want to assume that it hasn't happened already.
6. How will the new coaching staff work together?
Sullivan has had Reirden and Mike Vellucci on his staff for a few months now, but because of the pandemic, they have had limited face-to-face (socially distanced, of course) interactions.
And while the assistants' basic responsibilities have been established -- Reirden oversees the defense and power play, Vellucci the forwards and penalty-kill -- staff members still figure to need a little time to really get to know each other's personalities and decide how best to work together.
Chemistry on a coaching staff might not be as critical as it is on a No. 1 line or top defense pairing, but if the head coach and his assistants can develop into a truly cohesive unit, it can only be a plus for them. And for the players they will be directing.