In almost any other season, John Marino would have been a serious contender -- perhaps even a favorite -- for a spot on the NHL's all-rookie team.
He probably would have gotten significant support in the Calder Trophy voting as the league's best rookie, too.
Might even have won the thing.
But Marino just happened to make his pro debut during the 2019-20 season, when the NHL was all but overrun by exceptional first-year defensemen.
So never mind that he has been outstanding during his initial season -- which may or may not be over at this point -- with the Penguins, working his way onto the No. 2 pairing and has earning regular work in all situations.
Or that even though responsible defensive play is the most developed part of his game, he has put up some pretty fair offensive numbers -- six goals and 20 assists in 56 games -- while tying Brian Dumoulin for the best plus-minus rating on the team, plus-17.
The hard truth, though, is that Marino ranks just fourth in scoring among rookie defensemen, placing behind Quinn Hughes (Vancouver), Cale Makar (Colorado) and former Harvard teammate Adam Fox (New York Rangers), and that likely will work against him when the recipients of postseason honors are being determined.
Marino, though, made it clear during a conference call Tuesday that he isn't concerned about earning individual recognition for all he's accomplished since last fall.
"You don't really worry about that too much," he said. "That's kind of out of your control. The biggest thing is to go out there and play every game like (it's) your last. Try your hardest and let the rest worry about itself."
Marino certainly didn't give his coaches much to worry about during his first season as a pro. He went from being a healthy scratch for the first two games to averaging over 20 minutes of ice time per game.
"In the beginning, I was a little more sheltered," he said. "But as they gained a little more trust in me, the more they put me out there, and I think I was able to take advantage of the opportunity."
No wonder, then, that he seems reasonably satisfied with how things have played out.
"Overall, I think it went pretty well," Marino said, adding that, "it's still a learning process."
That process was interrupted when a Steven Stamkos shot was deflected into Marino's face in Tampa Feb. 6, breaking his cheekbone in several places and necessitating surgery.
He returned after sitting out 11 games, wearing a full face shield to prevent further damage. Should the 2019-20 season resume, he expects to shed the extra protection.
"Obviously, this time (off) has given me a lot of time to heal and recover," he said. "If we start playing again soon, I don't think I'll have to wear the full face mask."
Although he didn't enjoy the disruption in his season -- there's not much to like about having a puck shatter facial bones -- Marino said he tried to use the time off productively, especially his on-ice workouts with skills coach Ty Hennes.
"It's tough sitting out, whether you're injured or not playing or whatever it might be," he said. "But you just take it one step at a time. Do what you can and take all the positives you can out of it."
Even though he made it into just 56 games, that's 21 more than most he appeared in during any of his three years at Harvard. Not surprisingly, he said the grind of playing in the NHL is unlike anything he went through in college.
"There was some nagging stuff that you don't really experience until you play the full NHL season," Marino said. "You don't really think about it in college. You only play on the weekends and then you have the whole week to rest up your body.
"Every game (in the NHL) is a battle. You can't really take any games off. Not that you take any games off in college, but if you're going into a game where you know your team should win the game, you probably take a step back. In the NHL, you can't take a step back. ... That was eye-opening, for sure."
So was Marino's play, from his earliest shifts during a prospects tournament in Buffalo last September.
Which helps to explain why he hopes the coronavirus pandemic will only interrupt, not end, his rookie season.
"It's around playoff time, and obviously, I'd be really excited to partake in that," he said. "It being my first year, it would be really exciting. ... Hopefully, we can get back to playing pretty soon."
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