CRANBERRY, Pa. -- When the Penguins signed Danton Heinen as a free agent July 29, it wasn't immediately evident where he would fit into their lineup.
Three days into training camp, it still isn't.
And it might not be for a while.
Which isn't necessarily a bad thing for them.
It's not so much that Heinen has to prove he merits a place in the lineup, but that Mike Sullivan and his staff have to decide exactly where they want to deploy him.
There's no shortage of possibilities.
Heinen can work on left wing. He can work on right wing. He could fill a top-six role. He could be used in the bottom-six.
With so many permutations in play, there's just no way to know yet where he'll settle in by the regular-season opener Oct. 12 in Tampa.
"I think he has the potential to play in a number of different roles for us, depending on how the lines sort themselves out," Sullivan said after Saturday's camp sessions.
Through the early days of camp, Heinen has been auditioning for a place on a remade No. 1 line, manning the right side with Jake Guentzel and Jeff Carter.
Bryan Rust generally plays right wing on the top line and might well end up back there, but Heinen getting an opportunity there underscores the coaches' belief in his ability and potential.
"He's obviously playing with our higher-end guys right now and he has the instincts," Sullivan said. "He thinks the game on a high level. ... I think he'll bring an offensive dimension to our top line, if we need him to."
He did that during Saturday's scrimmage, scoring Team's 1's first goal in its 3-2 victory. Heinen took a feed across the front of the net from Guenzel and rapped a shot past goalie Louis Domingue.
There was nothing terribly special about the goal, but with two consistent point-producers, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, sidelined by offseason surgeries, the Penguins aren't likely to care much about aesthetics.
Heinen, 26, doesn't have game-breaking talent rivaling that of, say, Guentzel, but conceivably could make a run at matching -- or surpassing -- his career-best total of 16, set with Boston in 2017-18.
"I've been impressed with his game so far," Sullivan said. "He's got real good offensive instincts and he skates well. I think he's strong on he puck."
It's important to remember that training-camp squads include a lot of minor-leaguers and juniors, so how NHL regulars perform during the preseason must be viewed in that context.
What's more, despite his many strengths and assets, Heinen managed just 17 goals in 110 games over the past three seasons.
Still, he seems confident that he can generate goals the way he did a few years back with the Bruins -- and even knows the adjustment in his game he thinks could make that possible -- although optimism and good intentions don't always translate to productivity.
"I have to trust my shot a bit more," Heinen said. "Instead of always looking for the open guy, maybe shoot a bit more. I know I have the capability."
While the Penguins' offense isn't nearly as imposing with Crosby and Malkin out of the mix, Heinen said the Penguins figure to be a good fit for his game because they are "a team that plays with pace, offensive-minded."
The Penguins' decision-makers seem to feel the same, based on Heinen's take on the discussions they had with him while trying to persuade him to sign here.
"They made me feel wanted," Heinen said.
Even if they didn't know exactly what role they wanted him to fill.
