CRANBERRY, Pa. -- The Penguins figured it would be tough to find a replacement for Evgeni Malkin, and it turns out they were correct.
After all, how many 6-foot-6 Czech left wingers with eight games of NHL experience are there in the world?
Well, there's at least one, and two days into the Penguins' training camp, you can find him between Jason Zucker and Kasperi Kapanen on the No. 2 line.
Now, there's no guarantee Radim Zohorna will still be working there when the regular season begins Oct. 12 in Tampa -- or even when preseason play begins Monday evening against the Blue Jackets at PPG Paints Arena -- but the early reviews of his work as a placeholder for Malkin have been favorable.
"I thought he's been moving well, making some good plays," Zucker said Friday. "It's been fun to work with him."
Mike Sullivan, though, declined to assess Zohorna's prospects for retaining that job, noting that the coaching staff has other candidates -- he specifically mentioned Evan Rodrigues -- who could audition for it
"We have some options," he said, adding that "I think the exhibition games are going to tell us a lot."
Zohorna got a goal during the daily camp scrimmage Friday, knocking a Niclas Almari rebound past goalie Louis Domingue.
If he stays in his current role, Zohorna won't necessarily be the triggerman on that line, but there's no downside to showing a goal-scoring touch. Especially if he can continue to handle his other duties effectively.
"I don't know if he's played center before, but he's doing a good job out there," Kapanen said. "He can move. He's a big guy, but he also loves passing the puck and makes great plays. Once he gets a chance to shoot, it's in the net."
It's not realistic to expect Zohorna, or anyone else, to fully replace Malkin, who is expected to miss at least the first two months of the season while recovering from knee surgery.
The impact of his absence will be magnified if, as expected, Sidney Crosby sits out a handful of games at the start of the season because of a recent operation on his left wrist.
"Those are obviously our top players," Kapanen said.
The cliche about everyone having to elevate their game to make up for the guys who are missing applies in this case, but some have more room for improvement than others.
Zucker, who had nine goals in 38 games last season, has a prominent place on that list.
Which he knows better than anyone.
"Last year was awful, to be honest," Zucker said.
But it wasn't particularly difficult for him to explain.
There was, Zucker said, a direct connection between how many shots he took -- a relatively meager total of 67 -- and how many eluded rival goaltenders.
That's an average of 1.76 per game, down from 2.64 two seasons earlier.
"I don't feel like I shot the puck nearly as much as I had in years past," Zucker said. "I've never been known to be a playmaker. I'm a shooter and a goal-scorer."
He got 33 of them while playing for Minnesota in 2017-18, and being without Malkin would sting a lot less if Zucker can produce at a similar pace in 2021-22.
Kapanen is capable of contributing more, as well.
A visa issue delayed his arrival from Finland last season, and he finished with just 11 goals in 40 games. Although that's only a nominally lower rate than his career-best of 20 in 78 games in 2018-19, Kapanen's quick release and high-velocity shot reinforce the idea that he has untapped scoring potential.
"We think the sky is the limit for his game," Sullivan said. "I think (Kapanen) has the ability to be an elite player in this league. ... We think there's another level to his game, and we're going to try to help him get there."
Of course, having a capable puck-distributor at center is a plus for any winger, and it's far too early to determine whether Zohorna will be the best choice to work between Zucker and Kapanen when the season begins.
Jeff Carter likely will fill in for Crosby on the top line, and presumably would slide down to Malkin's spot once Crosby is back on active duty.
Regardless of who is chosen for temporary duty on the top two lines, however, it would be folly to count on them to solely make up what the Penguins lose when Crosby and Malkin aren't in uniform.
"All of us, especially on the top-six, need to make sure you're filling those voids," Zucker said. "We'll never be able to fill them completely, obviously. Those are two world-class players, but we have to collectively come together."