With training camp set to begin for the Pittsburgh Penguins, it should open the door for countless prospects to finally enter the big club's lineup. It won't be easy for the younger players trying to make the Penguins NHL roster, but it's not impossible. Not all hope is lost for those battling for jobs with a less than favorable outcome despite others having a higher chance of making the team.
An area on the team where prospects could struggle to stick around is on defense. Most of the pairings seem set, especially when it comes to the players who play the game right-handed. That will make things much more difficult when it comes to Harrison Brunicke making the jump to the big club. It's a crowded group on his side of the game, and it doesn't seem to be clearing out anytime soon.
There might be an opening on the bottom pair of the defensive group, but that would be on the left side. It would be unlikely that head coach Dan Muse would want to force Brunicke to play on his offside and potentially risk the young players development. It will be interesting to see what happens if Brunicke has a fantastic training camp and follows that up with a brilliant preseason effort.
Pittsburgh Penguins could have to hang onto Harrison Brunicke if he has sensational camp
It's not hard to read the tea leaves and notice Brunicke will more than likely fail to make the NHL roster. That said, he has produced strong training camps in the past, and it's about time he finally takes the next step and become a big league regular for the Penguins. Due to their lack of space on the roster currently, unless a trade is on the horizon, Brunicke will be sent to their AHL affiliate.
When you review the Pittsburgh Penguins projected starting lineup for the season, Harrison Brunicke is nowhere to be seen. The defensive pairings have four right-handed defensemen projected to stick on the roster, with Trevor Van Riemsdyk expected to play on the left side.
That means the highly regarded defensive prospect would have to prove he's better than Erik Karlsson, Kris Letang, and Kaedan Korczak.
The odds are certainly stacked against Brunicke as training camp starts, but they aren't impossible to overcome. Injuries happen all the time and one player's misfortune might allow for the youngster to finally get his foot in the door at the NHL level. The Penguins must infuse him into the lineup at some point either this season or next. Failure to do that could stunt his development as a defender.
It will be interesting to see what Pittsburgh does if Harrison Brunicke has a terrific training camp.
If he pulls that off, then he deserves to make the roster and play in the NHL. All signs continue to point to that scenario not happening anytime soon, but Brunicke surprised people in the past. One thing is for sure; the Penguins cannot leave a young player out of the lineup if he is better than a veteran.
Add us as a preferred source on Google