CRANBERRY, Pa. -- Dominik Kahun isn't the only hockey player to get traded and have to adjust to a new system.
And he's not the only one who doesn't know, from game to game, what line he'll be on.
Nor is he the only guy who can't even be certain what position he'll be playing from one day to the next.
Fact is, Kahun isn't even the only one on his line -- the line he's been on for the past couple of days, anyway -- who has first-hand knowledge of all those things.
Jared McCann, who centered the second line for Kahun and Patric Hornqvist during the Penguins' 2-1 victory against the Ducks Thursday at PPG Paints Arena, experienced all of that after being acquired from the Panthers Feb. 1, so he can appreciate what Kahun is going through as he makes the transition from the Blackhawks.
"It's not easy," McCann said. "I came from Florida, and it was tough. It really is. It's going to take a while to get used to the systems. You have to get used to everything. Playing with new guys, all of that."
If Kahun's performance against Anaheim is any indication, he finally appears to be settling in with the Penguins after being virtually invisible throughout training camp and a non-factor during the first three games of the regular season.
"I thought he was much more active and impactful on the game," Mike Sullivan said.
Kahun had two shots and a couple of takeaways, despite getting just 11 minutes, 28 seconds of ice time.
"Part of it probably was that he was cast in a top-six role and had a regular shift," Sullivan said. "I'm sure that helped him. He had three Grade-A scoring chances."
The best came with about six minutes to go in the second period, when Kahun had a breakaway and threw a shot past Ducks goalie John Gibson, only to have the puck slam off the crossbar.
"All the guys said they thought it was in, but I was the shooter, so I saw it," Kahun said. "It's too bad, but that's hockey."
Getting his first goal since joining the Penguins surely would give Kahun a jolt of confidence, although simply playing a solid two-way game against the Ducks seemed to help in that regard.
"I felt good," Kahun said. "I think I did a pretty solid job. ... It's nice when you score. It's always good for you. But that's sports. It's not always going your way. I'm just happy to be here."
By "here," he presumably meant "with the Penguins" as opposed to "at left wing on the No. 2 line," because he has been all over the depth chart during the past month. Kahun opened camp at right wing on the top line, but by the time the preseason was over, he probably had turned up on both wings of all four lines at some point.
That's a credit to his versatility, although perhaps a hindrance to him getting acclimated to his new club.
"Sometimes, I play one shift on the right side, then I have to go to the left," Kahun said. "It's good for me that I can go everywhere. It's not that easy, but I'm used to it. It happened to me last year, when I was in Chicago."
And the switches likely will continue, at least for a bit longer, until the coaches settle on a niche for him.
"The coaching staff is trying to put line combinations together on a daily basis, or a game-by-game basis, that give us the best chance to win," Sullivan said. "Part of that process is trying to learn the games, in a deeper way, of some of the guys we have who are new to our team."
Kahun just might be ready to show the coaches what all they've been hoping to see since the day he arrived.
Also Friday:
• Kris Letang, on the power-play configuration that includes him and fellow defenseman Justin Schultz: "You might not see as much movement coming from me and (Schultz), but you're certainly going to see a lot of shots. More of a shooting mentality." The forwards on the No. 1 unit Friday were Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel and Hornqvist.
• All 23 healthy players on the Penguins' major-league roster participated in their 30-minute workout.
• Sullivan again praised the power play, which was 1-for-6 against Anaheim and failed to register a shot on goal during a 61-second 5-on-3 advantage. "From a statistical standpoint, if they score one more goal, the numbers look terrific," he said. "We try to drill down and focus more on the details. ... For the most part, there was pretty good execution. They had some quality, quality chances."
• McCann, on Crosby's leadership: "He's the ideal captain. He does everything out there for us. ... He's a guy who leads by example, on and off the ice. He's someone all the guys look up to."
• After the practice, the Penguins flew to Minnesota, where they will face the Wild Saturday. Their two-game road trip will conclude in Winnipeg Sunday.
To continue reading, log into your account:
