Exclusive: Sullivan knows Guentzel's center ... and it's little surprise

Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel were in the lineup together for just 17 of the Penguins' first 69 games during the 2019-20 season.

But if the NHL, which suspended operations March 12 because of the coronavirus pandemic, gets back in business before next season, the Penguins will have both available.

And not surprisingly, Mike Sullivan plans to deploy them together if and when the Penguins are allowed to conduct a training camp prior to the resumption of games.

"I'm sure there will be a little bit of a feeling-out process there, but I do think Jake and Sid have developed a certain chemistry that, to us, is evident," he said. "I think they help each other be at their best. We'll have to find out the parts that go around those guys."

Sullivan would not specify whether Guentzel, who will be returning from shoulder surgery that sidelined him since Dec. 30, would be used on the right or left wing; he is capable of playing either side and the same is true of Jason Zucker and Conor Sheary, who were playing with Crosby when the league shut down.

One guy who apparently isn't a candidate to work with Crosby and Guentzel is Bryan Rust, because Sullivan has him penciled in elsewhere.

"I think (Evgeni Malkin) has developed a certain chemistry with (Rust)," Sullivan said. "I think (Rust's) speed helps (Malkin's) line. That's one of the reasons we put him there in the first place, and we really like how that chemistry has developed over the course of this season. Thats why (Rust) has consistently been there. Then we have options to move guys around those guys."

Patrick Marleau, who was on the left side with Malkin and Rust after being acquired from San Jose at the trade deadline, is among the possibilities to fill out the line, although nothing has been finalized.

"He's definitely a candidate, but there's a number of those guys," Sullivan said. "It all depends how it plays out."

If there is a training camp, the Penguins should enter it with 17 healthy forwards, quite a few of whom are capable of playing more than one position. Despite the large number of personnel combinations he could assemble, Sullivan said he and his staff have a sense of the lines they would use when camp gets underway.

"We have a pretty good idea of where we're going to start," he said, "and we'll go from there."

Of course, there's no guarantee that any of Sullivan's personnel ideas will be implemented, because COVID-19 is capable of sabotaging even the most carefully conceived plans.

Despite the uncertainty, though, Sullivan said that his players seem to have maintained a mindset that should serve them well if the league comes out of mothballs before autumn.

"I talk to our guys on a constant basis, and I think our guys have a good attitude and approach toward it," he said. "They're controlling what they can, and trying not to worry about what they can't. That's something we preach all the time with our guys. We have a motivated group, and we have a mature group. I believe they have it in perspective and they're doing everything in their power to stay ready.

"The challenge is the uncertainty. That's the hardest part. As athletes, we live in an environment that is rigid. It's structured. You (normally) know when you need to be in shape and what you have to be ready for and when training camp starts or when the games are at. Schedules are fairly structured and rigid, so players are used to that routine. In this time of uncertainty, that's one of the biggest challenges."

There will be plenty of those for the Penguins if the NHL gets the go-ahead from government and medical officials to resume playing, regardless of when or where or how it takes place.

Which is something that Sullivan continues to believe is going to happen.

"I'm optimistic," he said. "I always have been. I still believe we're going to play. I just don't know when. But I do believe we're going to play. I do believe we're going to finish this season. I do believe the Stanley Cup is going to get awarded. And I'm excited about the opportunity that we have in front of us. We're trying to do everything within our power to stay ready. We're trying to keep our players motivated and inspired to stay ready so that we put ourselves in the best possible position when we come out of this."