Mark Jankowski and Mike Matheson were deflated, perhaps a bit defeated -- and maybe even a little damaged -- when Jim Rutherford added them to the Penguins' depth chart after last season.
Jankowski had established himself as a solid two-way center in Calgary, but managed just five goals and two assists in 56 games with the Flames in 2019-20. That explains why Rutherford was able to sign him as a free agent to a one-year deal for the league minimum of $700,000.
Matheson, conversely, is working on a pretty nice contract -- it has six seasons remaining, with an average annual value of $4,875,000 -- that he'd signed in Florida before going through a couple of discouraging seasons there, a downturn in his fortunes that made the Panthers quite willing to part with him when they were able to get Patric Hornqvist in a trade.
Neither Jankowski nor Matheson came to the Penguins with a guarantee that a simply change of venue would revive his career.
And perhaps it won't.
But a week into the Penguins' training camp, both have shown signs that they can get their games back to -- and perhaps above -- the levels they reached earlier in their careers.
The latest evidence came during the Penguins' intra-squad scrimmage at PPG Paints Arena Sunday evening, a 5-4 victory for the Gold team, which included Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Tristan Jarry.
Matheson scored the Black squad's first goal early in the second period, when he beat Jarry with a well-placed shot from near the left hash.
He worked alongside John Marino on the No. 2 defense pairing during the scrimmage after spending most of camp with Cody Ceci on the third pairing and seemed to adapt well to his new niche.
"That (No. 2 pairing) is something we took a look at a few days ago, as well, with having Matheson and Marino together," said assistant coach Todd Reirden, who oversees the defense. "It's still early in this camp process, and we're trying to find situations that give us the best chance to have success, come Wednesday and the start of the season.
"Matheson has done some good things. This is my first chance to see some of these guys, and I've been impressed."
He and the rest of the staff also have to like what they've seen from Jankowski. He tied the scrimmage, 2-2, at 6:52 of the third by throwing a shot over Jarry's glove from high in the right circle, then closed out Black's scoring with 14.1 seconds left by rapping a puck past Jarry from close range.
Scoring two goals in one scrimmage -- one period of one scrimmage, actually -- doesn't mean that the scoring touch that deserted Jankowski last season has returned, but it certainly won't hurt his confidence.
"It felt good," he said. "Throughout this camp, I've been trying to get a little better, a little more comfortable every day. And even throughout that scrimmage, as the game wore on, just get a little more comfortable, a little better ... and I felt that's how it went."
Jankowski centered a line for Jared McCann and Brandon Tanev, and figures to be in the middle of the third line when the regular season begins Wednesday in Philadelphia. In that bottom-six niche, he will be counted on for solid, though not spectacular, work at both ends of the ice.
"Ever since my college days, I've really taken pride in being a good 200(-foot player), five-on-five, and being good on (penalty-killing)," he said. "Being strong and hard on the draws and the battles in your own zone. Try not to cheat the game. When you're doing things the right way, especially in the (defensive) zone, you stop plays early and you'll be able to transition to offense, good things happen."
Jankowski, 26, scored 17 goals for Calgary in 2017-18, so it's not unrealistic to expect him to turn up on the scoresheet occasionally during the coming season. And when he was searching for a new team during the offseason, he determined that his game dovetailed nicely with what the Penguins were seeking.
"It was a good opportunity for me," he said. "Last year didn't go as I wanted it to, and I think Pittsburgh has a good track record of bringing guys in and really putting them in positions (to succeed)."
Which, if early indications hold true, is precisely what they're doing with Matheson and Jankowski.
• The Penguins' most prominent players made their presence felt as the scrimmage was winding down. In the final eight minutes of play, Letang, Malkin and Sidney Crosby scored goals.
• Bryan Rust scored what proved to be the scrimmage-winner into an empty net with 62 seconds to play. It gave Gold a 5-3 lead at the time, but Jankowski's goal with 14.1 seconds to go made it the difference-maker.
• Kasperi Kapanen (coronavirus quarantine) was held out of the scrimmage, as were forward Sam Miletic and defensemen Zach Trotman and Josh Maniscalco. There was no explanation for why those three didn't play, but it's worth noting that Mike Sullivan said earlier in the day that the Penguins won't announce injuries during the preseason. There didn't appear to be any significant injuries injuries during the scrimmage.
• Sam Lafferty, who opened the scoring for Gold by beating Casey DeSmith on a breakaway, said he was "super excited" about signing a one-way contract before the season. "I love it here, and want to stay here as long as I can," he said. "It's nice that the team has the confidence in me to give me that contract."
