The Pittsburgh Penguins are getting set to take on the Winnipeg Jets in a Saturday afternoon matinee. But that is not before head coach Dan Muse making another lineup change that Penguins fans have been hoping for, for a while now.
He seems to be putting defenseman Harrison Brunicke back into the Penguins lineup in place of defenseman Matt Dumba. Dumba drew another start against his former team on Thursday when the Penguins took on the Minnesota Wild. But Brunicke seems to be getting another chance to play when the Penguins take on the Jets.
Brunicke is getting set to play his 8th game of the season for the Penguins on Saturday. He is only two games away from the Penguins having to make a big decision of burning a year off of his entry-level contract or not.
But for the time being, he will be slotting into the third defensive pairing for the Penguins as he will be playing alongside fellow youngster Owen Pickering. Pickering and Brunicke played together a lot during the preseason and finally get a chance to play together in the regular season.
Penguins fans have been yelling and screaming that Brunicke needs to be playing especially because Dumba does not provide much value when he is in the lineup. Sure, Dumba can occasionally throw his body around and be physical, but on the defensive side of things, he is just there.
With Brunicke getting his chance to play again after being scratched in Minnesota, it is his chance to show the coaching staff that he belongs as a mainstay in the Pittsburgh lineup. Sure, he will go in and out of the lineup as part of his development plan, but being back in the lineup is his chance to show the coaching staff he deserves daily playing time.