DK: A few (mostly) uplifting thoughts at the Penguins' finale
The scene couldn't have been more strange.
Rickard Rakell had stuffed up his equipment bag, slung it over his shoulder and headed toward the exit of the home locker room at PPG Paints Arena when he'd paused to chat a bit, as we often do after games. He dropped the bag and began the rewind. Coming back from the bum shoulder that'd burned him the previous season. Achieving career highs in both goals (35) and points (70), the latter on this very night. Embracing the chance to spend an entire winter skating with Sidney Crosby. Appreciating that he wasn't traded, as some expected he'd be.
Big smile.
And then, he looked past me and around the rest of that room. The expression changed.
"It's frustrating," he'd say then. "So frustrating."
No elaboration was needed.
I wouldn't think much would be needed from anyone after the Penguins out-cared the Capitals, 5-2, tonight here in a game that had little meaning to the home team, none at all to the visitors since they're bound for the Stanley Cup playoffs ... but I'll put forth a few thoughts, anyway, on my own way out the figurative door:
• There's no downplaying, much less dismissing the intangible, internal impact of the team's 10-5-2 finish. And no, I'm not at all referring to this single victory costing two spots in the upcoming NHL Draft, as they rose above both the Sabres and Ducks in the overall standings, and a bite out of the odds of landing the No. 1 overall pick via the lottery:
Neither the executives nor scouts fret over such stuff. No reason for anyone else to do so.
Also and related, the day that out-scouting Buffalo becomes the bar for any organization, it's probably time for a total transfusion of evaluators.
Besides, this was the side benefit:
That's Bryan Rust's first of two on this night. He's not-at-all-metaphorically the Penguins' model player, the one they cite to their prospects at all levels, and that marked the first time he'd achieved 30 goals.
Listen to him: "It's really cool. I'm really proud of that. I can't tell you I ever thought I'd score 30 goals. I thought maybe 30 over my career when I first got into the league. But it's cool. It's proof that, if you work hard and keep doing it ... let's get to the next milestone."
That is cool. That's rewarding doing it the right way. No one I've ever covered, not in any sport, outworks Rust. And no one's ever come close to evolving as he has.
• That comes with winning, even in this circumstance. Lots and lots and lots of good comes with winning, not least of which is that the general tone for the following season's set in a way that isn't the end of the bleeping world. Whereas, if there's a nosedive, never mind one that reeks of being intentional, the stench could take a Chicago/Detroit timespan to steam out.
• Actually, set aside everything I've ever written on that subject, and just imagine the effect that extensive losing would've had on the captain, OK? Case closed.
• The milestones never stop for Sid. His goal and assist in this one summed up his age-37 at 91 points, which meant this ...
NHL
... but also that he produced precisely the same number points at the same age that Mario Lemieux did in 2002-03, his final full season.
This won't be Sid's final anything, of course. There are times I wonder if Mario wasn't kidding when he once speculated that Sid could easily be all this till he's 45 or so.
• The snap in that graphic just above was taken between the two locker rooms after the game by the Penguins' Jen Bullano at the request of Alexander Ovechkin, this after Sid and his lifelong friend Evgeni Malkin presented the sport's new goal-scoring king with a watch to commemorate that.
But during the game ... wow:
Ovi chants in Pittsburgh—Never thought we'd see the day.
Imagine that occurring in Pittsburgh at any stage of our lives.
Which is wonderful. It's a hockey city. That's how it's done in this sport.
• Ovechkin carried himself here with the same class he showed through the Wayne Gretzky chase, saying of Sid after the Capitals' morning skate: "When we came into the league... it was a different system, different style of game. Two decades, we kind of transform ourselves to stay at the same level, and show that yeah, we're pretty good players." Booming laugh followed. He also praised Sid for passing Gretzky in his own way, with the 20th consecutive point-a-game season.
• Back-to-back goals from those two? And both in trademark fashion?
Only everyone saw that coming:
My goodness. To both.
• I'm not here to argue whether Ville Koivunen could've arrived from the AHL sooner, but I'm here all day to argue that he won't spend a waking minute in Wilkes-Barre next winter.
This kid has a sense about the ice surface that's rare for veterans, much less 22-year-old children playing in their eighth NHL game and commanding a power play with this elegance:
That's seven assists in eight games, but actually so much more.
I asked Mike Sullivan afterward. He loves what he's seen of Koivunen, and he can quantify it: "The one thing that's evident to us is he has a real high hockey IQ. He has a quiet confidence about him and a maturity to his game, especially his offensive game. We've seen that from the very first shift that he played. He's not afraid of the moment, and when you're playing in the top six, when you play with Sid or Geno, some of the star power like that, it can be very intimidating for a young player. One of the things we observed was that it didn't faze him. There have been a few other guys that've come through here that were in similar circumstances that excelled."
He didn't name names there. Wish he had. I'll bet Jake Guentzel was top of mind. Very different players. Very similar poise.
"That's a great sign," Sullivan continued. "He's a great kid, he loves hockey, and he's got some swagger to him. He plays with moxie. That's what you need to play in this league."
• Two fun minutes I spent one-on-one with Koivunen here:
• There's no pollyanna to be found in this process. The Penguins need -- not want, but flat-out need -- one, two, arguably three left-handed defensemen. I'm a blank slate on Matt Grzelcyk, mostly because I respect the players who value him for his bona fide high-grade passing. He'll be a free agent. I'm a believer in Owen Pickering. And after that, I'm open to anyone that isn't already in hand. Go get them, Kyle Dubas. And make sure, ideally, they're tough. Smartest position at which to add real bulk, real bullying.
• On that note, the return of Boko Imama's a must and a half. Dubas has to know what he'll do to that room if that doesn't happen.
• Credit Dubas with one especially under-appreciated aspect of his 2024-25 build, and that's the accumulation of all the Phil Tomasino, Cody Glass, Anthony Beauvillier types who either were good enough to add draft picks to the stash or, in Tomasino's case, emerged as a real future asset. That's smart stuff.
• One more year of Geno?
That's what the contract says. Just saying.
• Goaltending?
I still can't see Tristan Jarry's contract being taken by another team, but I can see a chapter in which he could emerge as ... I don't know, let's first see what becomes of either Joel Blomqvist or Sergei Murashov. But neither can be blocked. That's paramount.
• I hate not covering the playoffs. I swear, if the Jets make the Final, I'm flying to Winnipeg.
• Best wishes to Kris Letang. Talk about heart.
• A last one before I lock up: No one's owed a louder round of applause in this scenario than Pittsburgh's hockey faithful. Several players have spoken about how much it's meant to see consistently sizable and supportive crowds over the past few weeks, and this game sure wasn't an exception.
My sense was that this picked up with the dual recall of Koivunen and Rutger McGroarty, with both offering hope for the immediate and longer-term future.
It's OK. Smile. Maybe this isn't the end.
JOE SARGENT / GETTY
Bryan Rust and friend after the game.
____________________
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THE ASYLUM
Dejan Kovacevic
7:13 am - 04.18.2025UptownDK: A few (mostly) uplifting thoughts at the Penguins' finale
The scene couldn't have been more strange.
Rickard Rakell had stuffed up his equipment bag, slung it over his shoulder and headed toward the exit of the home locker room at PPG Paints Arena when he'd paused to chat a bit, as we often do after games. He dropped the bag and began the rewind. Coming back from the bum shoulder that'd burned him the previous season. Achieving career highs in both goals (35) and points (70), the latter on this very night. Embracing the chance to spend an entire winter skating with Sidney Crosby. Appreciating that he wasn't traded, as some expected he'd be.
Big smile.
And then, he looked past me and around the rest of that room. The expression changed.
"It's frustrating," he'd say then. "So frustrating."
No elaboration was needed.
I wouldn't think much would be needed from anyone after the Penguins out-cared the Capitals, 5-2, tonight here in a game that had little meaning to the home team, none at all to the visitors since they're bound for the Stanley Cup playoffs ... but I'll put forth a few thoughts, anyway, on my own way out the figurative door:
• There's no downplaying, much less dismissing the intangible, internal impact of the team's 10-5-2 finish. And no, I'm not at all referring to this single victory costing two spots in the upcoming NHL Draft, as they rose above both the Sabres and Ducks in the overall standings, and a bite out of the odds of landing the No. 1 overall pick via the lottery:
1. Sharks: 25.5%
2. Blackhawks: 13.5%
3. Predators: 11.5%
4. Flyers: 9.5%
5. Bruins: 8.5%
6. Kraken: 7.5%
7. Sabres: 6.5%
8. Ducks: 6%
9. Penguins: 5%
10. Islanders: 3.5%
11. Rangers: 3%
Neither the executives nor scouts fret over such stuff. No reason for anyone else to do so.
Also and related, the day that out-scouting Buffalo becomes the bar for any organization, it's probably time for a total transfusion of evaluators.
Besides, this was the side benefit:
That's Bryan Rust's first of two on this night. He's not-at-all-metaphorically the Penguins' model player, the one they cite to their prospects at all levels, and that marked the first time he'd achieved 30 goals.
Listen to him: "It's really cool. I'm really proud of that. I can't tell you I ever thought I'd score 30 goals. I thought maybe 30 over my career when I first got into the league. But it's cool. It's proof that, if you work hard and keep doing it ... let's get to the next milestone."
That is cool. That's rewarding doing it the right way. No one I've ever covered, not in any sport, outworks Rust. And no one's ever come close to evolving as he has.
• That comes with winning, even in this circumstance. Lots and lots and lots of good comes with winning, not least of which is that the general tone for the following season's set in a way that isn't the end of the bleeping world. Whereas, if there's a nosedive, never mind one that reeks of being intentional, the stench could take a Chicago/Detroit timespan to steam out.
• Actually, set aside everything I've ever written on that subject, and just imagine the effect that extensive losing would've had on the captain, OK? Case closed.
• The milestones never stop for Sid. His goal and assist in this one summed up his age-37 at 91 points, which meant this ...
NHL
... but also that he produced precisely the same number points at the same age that Mario Lemieux did in 2002-03, his final full season.
This won't be Sid's final anything, of course. There are times I wonder if Mario wasn't kidding when he once speculated that Sid could easily be all this till he's 45 or so.
• The snap in that graphic just above was taken between the two locker rooms after the game by the Penguins' Jen Bullano at the request of Alexander Ovechkin, this after Sid and his lifelong friend Evgeni Malkin presented the sport's new goal-scoring king with a watch to commemorate that.
But during the game ... wow:
Imagine that occurring in Pittsburgh at any stage of our lives.
Which is wonderful. It's a hockey city. That's how it's done in this sport.
• Ovechkin carried himself here with the same class he showed through the Wayne Gretzky chase, saying of Sid after the Capitals' morning skate: "When we came into the league... it was a different system, different style of game. Two decades, we kind of transform ourselves to stay at the same level, and show that yeah, we're pretty good players." Booming laugh followed. He also praised Sid for passing Gretzky in his own way, with the 20th consecutive point-a-game season.
• Back-to-back goals from those two? And both in trademark fashion?
Only everyone saw that coming:
My goodness. To both.
• I'm not here to argue whether Ville Koivunen could've arrived from the AHL sooner, but I'm here all day to argue that he won't spend a waking minute in Wilkes-Barre next winter.
This kid has a sense about the ice surface that's rare for veterans, much less 22-year-old children playing in their eighth NHL game and commanding a power play with this elegance:
That's seven assists in eight games, but actually so much more.
I asked Mike Sullivan afterward. He loves what he's seen of Koivunen, and he can quantify it: "The one thing that's evident to us is he has a real high hockey IQ. He has a quiet confidence about him and a maturity to his game, especially his offensive game. We've seen that from the very first shift that he played. He's not afraid of the moment, and when you're playing in the top six, when you play with Sid or Geno, some of the star power like that, it can be very intimidating for a young player. One of the things we observed was that it didn't faze him. There have been a few other guys that've come through here that were in similar circumstances that excelled."
He didn't name names there. Wish he had. I'll bet Jake Guentzel was top of mind. Very different players. Very similar poise.
"That's a great sign," Sullivan continued. "He's a great kid, he loves hockey, and he's got some swagger to him. He plays with moxie. That's what you need to play in this league."
• Two fun minutes I spent one-on-one with Koivunen here:
• There's no pollyanna to be found in this process. The Penguins need -- not want, but flat-out need -- one, two, arguably three left-handed defensemen. I'm a blank slate on Matt Grzelcyk, mostly because I respect the players who value him for his bona fide high-grade passing. He'll be a free agent. I'm a believer in Owen Pickering. And after that, I'm open to anyone that isn't already in hand. Go get them, Kyle Dubas. And make sure, ideally, they're tough. Smartest position at which to add real bulk, real bullying.
• On that note, the return of Boko Imama's a must and a half. Dubas has to know what he'll do to that room if that doesn't happen.
• Credit Dubas with one especially under-appreciated aspect of his 2024-25 build, and that's the accumulation of all the Phil Tomasino, Cody Glass, Anthony Beauvillier types who either were good enough to add draft picks to the stash or, in Tomasino's case, emerged as a real future asset. That's smart stuff.
• One more year of Geno?
That's what the contract says. Just saying.
• Goaltending?
I still can't see Tristan Jarry's contract being taken by another team, but I can see a chapter in which he could emerge as ... I don't know, let's first see what becomes of either Joel Blomqvist or Sergei Murashov. But neither can be blocked. That's paramount.
• I hate not covering the playoffs. I swear, if the Jets make the Final, I'm flying to Winnipeg.
• Best wishes to Kris Letang. Talk about heart.
• A last one before I lock up: No one's owed a louder round of applause in this scenario than Pittsburgh's hockey faithful. Several players have spoken about how much it's meant to see consistently sizable and supportive crowds over the past few weeks, and this game sure wasn't an exception.
My sense was that this picked up with the dual recall of Koivunen and Rutger McGroarty, with both offering hope for the immediate and longer-term future.
It's OK. Smile. Maybe this isn't the end.
JOE SARGENT / GETTY
Bryan Rust and friend after the game.
____________________
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Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
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