Nathan Beailieu won't be in uniform when the Penguins close out the regular season against the Blue Jackets tonight at 7:08 at PPG Paints Arena.
Nothing new about that.
After all, he hasn't made it into the Penguins' lineup since they acquired him from the Jets for a conditional seventh-round draft choice March 21.
That's mostly because Beaulieu was recovering from an unspecified lower-body injury at the time of the deal, an issue that landed him on the Long-Term Injured list, but also because the Penguins haven't had the salary-cap space needed to activate him.
But Beaulieu has been practicing with the team for the past 10 days -- he was one of seven players to participate in their optional game-day skate Friday -- and the salary cap is not in effect during the Stanley Cup playoffs.
And because he has a physical element -- something in short supply on the Penguins' defense -- to his game, Mike Sullivan acknowledged Friday that he is a viable candidate for playing time during the Penguins' first-round playoff series, when they will face the Rangers or Panthers.
"Without a doubt, he's a guy who's an option for us," Sullivan said. "We think Nathan is a good, solid defenseman. Brings a different dimension to our defense corps than what we have. He brings a little bit of abrasiveness. He's a physical player. He can help us on the penalty-kill. He's a good shot-blocker. He's strong in the battle areas."
Beaulieu, 29, is 6 foot 2, 200 pounds. He has 12 goals, 82 assists and 301 penalty minutes in 419 career games with Montreal, Buffalo and Winnipeg.
There are some obvious risks in dropping a guy into a playoff series when he's had an extended layoff and is with a new team.
Before adding him to the lineup, Sullivan and his staff will have to weigh the significance of Beaulieu not appearing in a game since March 4, when he was injured against Dallas, and his lack of experience in the Penguins' system.
But if one of the Penguins' other left-handed defensemen struggles or is injured, Beaulieu could claim a spot in the lineup.
"We'll see how our team plays," Sullivan said. "We'll see where it goes."
MORE FROM THE SKATE
• Casey DeSmith will get the start in goal.
• The Penguins will clinch third place in the Metropolitan Division with a victory over Columbus, setting up a first-round series with the Rangers. If they lose, they could be matched with Florida, depending on how the Capitals fare against the Rangers tonight.
• The Penguins, predictably, have not expressed a preference for their Round 1 opponent. "What's important to our team is two things," Sullivan said. "We want to finish in the best possible position that gives us the best chance to be successful going forward, and we want to try to gain some traction with respect to our own team game, so we feel good about our game going into the playoffs. Regardless of who our first-round opponent is, we know we're going to have a tough challenge."
• Sullivan said Tristan Jarry, who has a broken bone in his foot, "has been going through (a rehabilitation program) every day, and is continuing to do that." No timeframe has been announced for Jarry to return to practice.
• In addition to DeSmith and Beaulieu, Evgeni Malkin, Marcus Pettersson, Mark Friedman, Chad Ruhwedel and Louis Domingue were on the ice for the optional.
• Because the skate was optional, there were no personnel combinations of consequence.
