CRANBERRY, Pa. -- Dominik Kahun is the first player in this training camp to audition for a spot alongside Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel on the Penguins' No. 1 line.
There's a pretty good chance he won't be the last.
But whether Mike Sullivan and his staff can come up with someone who is better fit with those two is far from certain, if Kahun's initial practice in that role is any indication.
"I'm sure there will be a lot of different combinations throughout camp," Crosby said. "But he looks really good out there."
Kahun, acquired from the Blackhawks for Olli Maatta in June, made his first on-ice appearance as a Penguin on the right side with Crosby and Guentzel today, and earned favorable reviews from both.
"He's a really skilled player," Guentzel said. "And he plays fast."
That line accounted for its team's only goal -- Guentzel scored it, off assists from Crosby and Kahun -- in a 3-1 loss in the first scrimmage of camp, and created several other quality scoring chances. That presumably is what the coaches had in mind when they decided to deploy Kahun with those two.
"Dominik is a guy who has really good offensive instincts," Sullivan said. "He's elusive, he's really quick, he's good in tight space. We thought we'd try him with Sid and Jake. That's where those guys excel, and we felt like Kahun might be a guy who could be complementary to those guys."
He was, and part of the reason Kahun looked so comfortable might be that this wasn't his first experience with elite linemates. As a rookie in Chicago last season, he routinely played with the likes of Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane.
Even so, Kahun acknowledged that being on a line with Crosby was a bit unsettling.
"When I saw (the line configurations), obviously I was a little nervous, because growing up and playing hockey, I always watched him," Kahun said. "He was my idol. To play with him was, for me, a very big thing."
Getting a flattering assessment of his work from Crosby had to be nice for Kahun, too.
"He's strong on the puck, he's got a good shot," Crosby said. "He can see the ice well."
Kahun also is a good skater, something Crosby and Guentzel both cited as a must-have quality for anyone playing alongside them.
Guentzel said that "you want fast, skilled players," while Crosby explained that speed is invaluable for "just being on pucks, forcing turnovers, being able to get up and down the ice."
Management clearly recognizes Kahun's blend of speed and skill. It is why the Penguins traded for him, and why he made his training-camp debut on the top line.
The question now is how long he will stay there, and whether any move away from Crosby and Guentzel would be permanent.
"We have so many options," Sullivan said. "With the roster we have, we can move guys around, but we thought we would start there and see where it goes."
MATT SUNDAY GALLERY
Penguins training camp, Cranberry, Pa., Sept. 13, 2019 -- MATT SUNDAY / DKPS
