It appears, at long last, the Penguins have finally found that third-line center they've been missing. Hint: It's not Jean-Gabriel Pageau or Mark Letestu or any of the hottest internet rumors out there.
It's the third-line center they acquired back in October. That would be Riley Sheahan, of course.
Over the past six games, Sheahan has been scoring at a point-per-game clip, including two goals over the weekend against the Stars and Blues. With that kind of production behind Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, do the Penguins really need an upgrade over what they already have?
Only Jim Rutherford knows for sure -- we'll all know for sure by 3 p.m. on Feb. 26 -- and he's not saying. But the GM did have some intriguing comments when I spoke to him Monday afternoon, two weeks before the deadline.
"We still have time to decide," Rutherford told DKPittsburghSports.com. "I'd like to get more depth at that (center) position. It may not necessarily be a guy who plays in that third-line role. We'll have to see how it unfolds if different options are out there over the next few weeks."
Translation: It's a fourth-line center that the Penguins are most interested in acquiring.
"I feel like we have depth at all the positions except maybe center and if we just made that move, I'd be comfortable with our team going forward," Rutherford told me.
Sheahan has certainly given Rutherford and the organization something to think about as the No. 3. After a slow start -- Sheahan had zero goals in his first dozen games with Pittsburgh -- he has been exactly the player the Penguins thought they were getting when they dealt Scott Wilson to Detroit in exchange for him just two weeks into the season.
"He's fit in nicely as time has gone on," Rutherford told me. "He's putting more points up on a regular basis now and creating good things. I've actually liked his play since he's got here, but as he's adjusted to our team and got comfortable here, he's played better and better as time has gone on."
Sheahan has been a vital part of the NHL's fifth-best penalty killing unit (83.1 percent). He's shown he's more than capable in the faceoff circle, winning 54.9 percent of his draws. He's shown he can play a decent puck possession game with a 49.65 Corsi For Percentage while playing in a bottom-six role.
Most recently, though, he's shown an offensive touch that had been missing in his game.
"It's tough to put a finger on it," Sheahan was telling me after Monday's practice. "I think it's just a little more confidence with the puck and just kind of getting some opportunities. Deciding to start taking the puck to the net, trying some things so I can put myself in a better scoring opportunity, I guess. Trying to play the same way and maybe just getting some bounces and things are starting to click."
With six goals and 15 assists for 21 points in 56 games, Sheahan has already exceeded his totals from last year, a lost season in Detroit in which he scored just two goals (13 points) and was a dreadful minus-29.
Having scored 13 and 14 goals in 2014-15 and 2015-16, Sheahan is a capable goal scorer and he showed that again Friday night against the Stars:
"Sometimes I worry a little too much about the defensive side of things and take myself out of opportunities like that," he said. "I think now it's just getting some opportunity and deciding to maybe putting my head down and take it to the net and make a move. It's been working."
Hell, Sheahan even picked up a slashing penalty in that shootout loss to the Stars, the first penalty he'd taken in 47 games as a Penguin. That's hard to do. Conor Sheary looks like a goon in comparison with six PIMs. Sheahan had a laugh when told about that.
"I try to play the game clean and honest," he said. "I think it's just part of my game, trying to stay out of the box and help the team kill penalties instead of forcing them into killing them. It's a weird stat. Maybe it's a good thing and a bad thing."
That's not to suggest any weakness in Sheahan's game. He's not a Lady Byng candidate but, hey, even pitchers have to throw inside every now and then to keep batters on their toes.
Sheahan says his job is to contribute however he can, whether he's centering the third line or the fourth line. In his seven NHL seasons, he's never been past the first round of the playoffs but is eager to try with the Penguins, as they are currently constructed.
"I think we're rolling a bit," he said. "We're confident with what we've got in here. If things happen, and with Jim --- he knows what he's doing, obviously -- he might see things and try to make some moves, but I think we're happy with what we've got here."
Judging by Rutherford's comments to me, he too seems to like what the Penguins have with Sheahan as the third-line center. That's a far cry from the dark days of December for both Sheahan and his new team.
"That first half was going to be tough for us and once we tuned the corner into the second half, we started to play the way we were capable of and now we're at that level," Rutherford said. "I've liked what I've seen. It's been quite a change from the first half, but I understand why. And now we just have to keep building on what we're doing because we're in a tight race."
