DENVER -- Serious injuries to key players has been the dominant storyline in the Penguins' season to date, going back to when Bryan Rust got a broken hand blocking a shot during the final exhibition game.
The Penguins have received a lot of praise for how they've dealt with that adversity, and justifiably so, because it could have sabotaged their season long before it reached this point.
Difficult as it might be to see, however, there actually could be an upside to what they have gone through, because having so many players unavailable has given guys like Sam Lafferty, Stefan Noesen, Joseph Blandisi, Andrew Agozzino and Thomas Di Pauli -- players who might not otherwise have turned up on the major-league roster in 2019-20 -- a chance to show what they can do at this level.
There is, Rust noted, the potential -- and precedent -- for a silver lining to come out of an obviously dark situation.
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