Rickard Rakell has experience at center. He played in the middle a lot early in his career in Anaheim, but he's done it very infrequently since being in Pittsburgh.
If Sidney Crosby is to miss any time, it looks like Rakell might have to step back in as a center. With Crosby not yet back from the Olympics for Monday's practice, the Penguins left their other three lines intact and put the recently-recalled Avery Hayes at wing opposite Bryan Rust, shifting Rakell to the middle. I asked Rakell about his comfort level there if he is going to play center, and he's pretty OK with it.
"I mean, I like having the puck, so I think it gives me some chances to get the puck more," he said. "Get through the middle, create some more things from the middle of the ice. I do feel comfortable with that. I've just got to work on my faceoffs a little bit."
Dan Muse said they're still waiting for "more information" when it comes to Crosby's availability for Thursday's game, but if they do need to use Rakell at center, it's something he's ready to do.
"It was something where there was the need there to move Raks into the middle," Muse said. "I'd feel very comfortable doing it, based on what I saw there early in the season."
THE ASYLUM
Rakell 'comfortable' at center
Rickard Rakell has experience at center. He played in the middle a lot early in his career in Anaheim, but he's done it very infrequently since being in Pittsburgh.
If Sidney Crosby is to miss any time, it looks like Rakell might have to step back in as a center. With Crosby not yet back from the Olympics for Monday's practice, the Penguins left their other three lines intact and put the recently-recalled Avery Hayes at wing opposite Bryan Rust, shifting Rakell to the middle. I asked Rakell about his comfort level there if he is going to play center, and he's pretty OK with it.
"I mean, I like having the puck, so I think it gives me some chances to get the puck more," he said. "Get through the middle, create some more things from the middle of the ice. I do feel comfortable with that. I've just got to work on my faceoffs a little bit."
Dan Muse said they're still waiting for "more information" when it comes to Crosby's availability for Thursday's game, but if they do need to use Rakell at center, it's something he's ready to do.
"It was something where there was the need there to move Raks into the middle," Muse said. "I'd feel very comfortable doing it, based on what I saw there early in the season."
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