By the numbers
Ahead of even Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel, Conor Sheary leads the Penguins with 3.13 points per 60 minutes of even-strength ice time this season. Here's a look at how his possible replacements rank in that category.
GP G-A—Pts Pts/60
Jake Guentzel 12 4-3—7 2.83
Scott Wilson 46 5-10—15 2.01
Chris Kunitz 43 6-15—21 1.97
Matt Cullen 43 8-9—17 1.75
Carl Hagelin 49 6-13—19 1.57
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Updated 2 hours ago
For more than a decade, the Penguins have searched for a homegrown winger who could be a consistent goal-scoring threat on a line with Sidney Crosby.
When they finally found one, he got hurt.
Conor Sheary will miss four to six weeks with an upper-body injury, coach Mike Sullivan said after practice Wednesday in Cranberry.
Sheary is third on the team with 17 goals this season, trailing only Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Among NHL left wings, only Montreal's Max Pacioretty has more even-strength goals than Sheary's 16.
“He's having a real good year. That's a tough one for us. He's been a real good player for us,” Sullivan said. “Once again, our depth will be tested. We've got guys that can step up. We know we've got guys that can fill different roles. That's been one of the strengths of this team and it will continue to be a strength.”
With Sheary out, Sullivan will look for replacements internally to fill his spot on a line alongside center Sidney Crosby and right wing Patric Hornqvist.
There is no shortage of contenders.
If Sullivan wants a direct replacement for Sheary, rookie Jake Guentzel is an obvious choice. Guentzel has slowed down after a roaring start to his NHL career, going pointless and minus-2 in his past four games after putting up four goals and seven points in his first eight appearances, but he shares some key attributes with Sheary.
Both are undersized, fast and creative in the offensive zone.
“Obviously, a guy that has some hockey sense that can play that give-and-go game with Sid that Sid excels at,” Sullivan said when asked what he's looking for in a Sheary replacement. “That's certainly what Conor brought to that line, just his quickness on pucks, his ability to help us keep the puck down in the battle areas, below the goal line.
“I think that's where that line has really excelled, in that area of the rink. Obviously, we're going to look for someone who can complement Sid.”
Chris Kunitz, who has been skating on an effective fourth line with Eric Fehr and Scott Wilson, has two factors working in his favor. One is familiarity. He's been one of Crosby's most frequent linemates in his career.
Two is math. There were 82 lines that played at least 200 even-strength minutes together in the NHL last season. None had a better shot-attempt ratio than the combination of Kunitz, Crosby and Hornqvist. They used that possession advantage to outscore opponents, 33-10.
Other candidates include Carl Hagelin, Scott Wilson and Matt Cullen.
Hagelin's speed has meshed well with Crosby during short stints on a line together this season.
Cullen, who practiced Wednesday for the first time since suffering a foot injury Jan. 16, is savvy enough to complement Crosby on the left side even though he's a center by trade. Using Cullen in Sheary's place would allow Sullivan to maintain his third and fourth lines, which were effective in a 4-2 win over Nashville on Tuesday.
Wilson, meanwhile, fizzled in a top-six trial early in the season, but he has a combination of energy, grit and puck skill that Sullivan likes.
“We think he has the ability to develop potentially into that top-six forward role,” Sullivan said. “He missed a lot of the season last year with the injury that he endured. Maybe he wasn't quite ready for that early in the season. He's a possibility.”
Ultimately, Sullivan said replacing Sheary might end up being a group effort.
“We've got a number of possibilities that we can utilize,” he said. “It might be something that we move different people in and out depending on what we see. Part of it is going to be a little bit of experiment with the group that we have to try to see if we have combinations that will work.”
Jonathan Bombulie is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at jbombulie@tribweb.com or via Twitter at @BombulieTrib.
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