NEW YORK -- When the Penguins acquired Rickard Rakell from Anaheim at the trade deadline Monday, the prevailing sentiment -- outside of the Penguins' organization, at least -- was that he would end up on a line with Evgeni Malkin.
Well, he apparently has.
It just took a few games longer than almost anyone expected.
And he still isn't in the precise niche where many anticipated he fit in.
Rakell, widely projected to settle in on Malkin's right side, was on his left wing during the Penguins' game-day skate at Madison Square Garden, where they will face the Rangers tonight at 7:08, while Bryan Rust remained on the right.
And while Rakell figures to slot in on left winger of the No. 2 line this evening, there's no guarantee that will be his permanent spot.
"He can play the left or the right," Mike Sullivan said. "He's comfortable on either side. We're trying to figure out what combinations give us the best chance to win, and that's what we'll continue to do. (Rakell) obviously is a real good player.
"He's a goal-scorer, has the ability to finish. I think he adds a lot of speed to our lineup. We're just trying to figure out how to create the combinations out there that give us the balance we need through our lineup, but also put players in positions to be successful."
MORE FROM THE SKATE
• Tristan Jarry will start in goal.
• Left winger Jason Zucker, who is recovering from core-muscle surgery, participated in the skate, his first workout with his teammates since his operation. He was wearing a white, no-contact jersey.
• Brian Boyle spent five seasons with the Rangers, and said his experience with them "was a huge part of my career" and development. "I grew up a lot here," he said. "How to be a pro in this league. How to manage ... getting pulled in different directions. I had a lot of friends here who didn't play hockey who lived in the city, and there's lots to do in New York City. The culture we had when I was playing here, and the two (coaching) staffs we had when I was here, taught me a tremendous amount about how to fit into a group and how to find a role on a team and how to perfect it to have success.""
• Although New York forward Alexis Lafreniere, the first player taken in the 2020 NHL draft, has had a fairly ordinary start to his NHL career -- 25 goals and 18 assists in 118 games -- and seems to feel the pressure of the high expectations that accompanied him into the league, Sullivan said he believes Lafreniere is making progress. "When you get drafted first overall, there's an expectation that comes with that," he said. "Quite honestly, it's not always fair. ... His playmaking ability (has improved). I think he's stronger on pucks (than during his rookie season)."
• Sullivan described Rust as "an elite penalty-killer," which made it "a natural move for us and for him" to add him to the shorthanded unit when Zach Aston-Reese was removed from the mix, first by illness and then by the Rakell trade.
• Boyle has appeared in 51 of the Penguins' first 65 games, and said he's not feeling any unexpected wear-and-tear just yet. "The body is ... what is it, March 25? It feels about like March 25."
• Sullivan offered lavish praise of Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin. "He's obviously having a great year for them. He's a really good goalie. He handles the puck extremely well, also."
• Boyle got a laugh when discussing his team's off-ice preparations for games: "The coaches probably want to show us more video every day than they do, but they keep it to a certain extent because of our capacity for paying attention. There's not a ton of college degrees in that room."
• New York did not have a game-day skate.
• Personnel combinations:
Guentzel-Crosby-Rodrigues
Rakell-Malkin-Rust
Heinen-Carter-Kapanen
Boyle-Blueger-Zohorna
Spare: Zucker
Dumoulin-Letang
Matheson-Marino
Pettersson-Ruhwedel
Spare: Friedman
Power play No. 1: Crosby, Malkin, Letang, Guentzel, Rust
Power play No. 2: Matheson, Carter, Kapanen, Rodrigues, Heinen
