Predicting exactly what will happen in the NHL over the next few months is just slightly less challenging than projecting how the Stanley Cup playoffs will unfold in, say, 2027.
Oh, sure, the league has a framework for a return to semi-normalcy, beginning with the small-group skating sessions that are getting underway across the continent this week, but the coronavirus pandemic will have the final say on all of that.
And it hasn't signed off on anything yet.
Still, if the plan announced recently by commissioner Gary Bettman holds, training camps figure to begin in about a month, and games will resume in late July or early August in a pair of "hub" cities that have yet to be determined.
Teams that will participate in the restart of the 2019-20 season -- including the Penguins, who will face Montreal in a best-of-five qualifying round, with the winner earning a place in the best-of-16 Stanley Cup playoffs field -- will be allowed to take up to 50 players and staff members to those hub cities.
The league has proposed that rosters consist of up to 28 skaters and an unlimited number of goaltenders, although that's one of many details that still has to be negotiated with the NHL Players' Association.
Nonetheless, 28 seems like a workable number for how many forwards and defensemen teams will carry into the postseason. That means the Penguins will have a few slots to fill if they opt to carry the maximum, which seems logical.
With forwards Dominik Simon and Nick Bjugstad unavailable of after undergoing season-ending surgeries, the Penguins have 23 healthy skaters on their major-league roster, all of whom presumably would retain their spots. They are:
FORWARDS
Anthony Angello
Zach Aston-Reese
Teddy Blueger
Sidney Crosby
Jake Guentzel
Patric Hornqvist
Sam Lafferty
Evgeni Malkin
Patrick Marleau
Jared McCann
Evan Rodrigues
Bryan Rust
Conor Sheary
Brandon Tanev
Jason Zucker
DEFENSEMEN
Brian Dumoulin
Jack Johnson
Kris Letang
John Marino
Marcus Pettersson
Jusso Riikola
Chad Ruhwedel
Justin Schultz
That leaves space for five more forwards and defensemen to push the total to 28; a logical split would be 18 forwards and 10 defensemen.
The final makeup of the Penguins' postseason roster figures to be influenced by injuries and illness (some might have noticed that the Penguins lost a few man-games to those this season), as well as training-camp performances and specific niches for which the coaching staff might want to have backups in place.
And while it seems unlikely that any player who wasn't on the roster when the NHL suspended play March 12 actually will make it into a lineup before next fall, guys who seemed like afterthoughts at the end of the regular season can end up filling significant roles during the playoffs.
Witness the solid, if unspectacular, contributions by the likes of Jock Callander, Dave Michayluk and Mike Needham during the Penguins' championship run in the spring of 1992.
What follows, then, is one observer's take on who should be added to the roster before the Canadiens series, and why those players deserve to be selected ahead of others.
WHO GETS ADDED
D Kevin Czuczman. He's 29, so Czuczman has ample pro experience -- although none in the Stanley Cup playoffs -- and his offensive abilities suit the Penguins' style.
F Thomas Di Pauli. A capable two-way player who can be plugged in to all three forward positions, if necessary. (Not all at the same time, of course.)
F Adam Johnson. He has several qualities -- speed, tenacity and versatility -- that the Penguins value, and has fared pretty well during a few cameos with the parent club.
F Samuel Poulin. Poulin will be on the expanded playoff roster, he told TVA Sports this week. Probably the most controversial of these selections, since he's never skated a shift in pro hockey. But Poulin is be an intriguing wild card, an "In case of emergency, break glass" choice. Someone to be called upon when the Penguins were in a dire situation and, basically, had nothing left to lose (except the series that they'd be on the verge of losing already).
D Zach Trotman. Trotman has already returned to Pittsburgh for the informal skates and will be on the expanded playoff roster. He has good size and can move the puck effectively, although he doesn't play as physically as his frame suggests he could.
WHO MISSES OUT
F Riley Barber. A hard worker with a sound 200-foot game, but Barber hasn't proven he can fill a meaningful role in the NHL.
F Jordy Bellerive. He's a center, and there's no shortage of guys who can play that position effectively.
D Pierre-Olivier Joseph. Perhaps the best defense prospect in the organization, but the playoffs is not the ideal place for someone at that position to be introduced to the league.
F Nathan Legare. Mike Sullivan said there has been no determination on whether to bring him to training camp. And while it would be tempting to see if Legare could add a dimension to the offense if there would be a rash of injuries up front, it's prudent to not risk rushing him.
F Sam Miletic. He has shown some offensive potential and was considered a candidate to contend for a roster spot before camp last fall. It wouldn't be a shock if he made the cut.
F Kevin Roy. A good playmaker at the minor-league level, but it's unlikely there would be a top-six opening on the parent club that would give Roy linemates who could take full advantage of his talents.
F Philip Varone. Although his two-way play generally is pretty good, Varone can have trouble with bigger, stronger opponents.
D David Warsofsky. He has a solid offensive game and some NHL experience, but his modest stature (5 foot 9, 170 pounds) can make him a liability in the defensive zone.
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