Anthony Beauvillier had split loyalties when he attended an NHL game as a fan for the first time at 12 years old.
It was the 2010 playoffs, and he made the trip about an hour south from Sorel-Tracy, Quebec to Montreal see his Canadiens play in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs ... but he wasn't totally rooting for the Habs. He was a fan of the young 25-year-old netminder down at the other end of the ice from Sorel-Tracy: Marc-Andre Fleury. Because of the hometown tie with Fleury, Beauvillier grew up something of a Penguins fan himself.
"For me it was just natural to be a Penguins fan growing up," he said in a virtual media availability on Thursday. "I just remember cheering him on. I wanted Marc-Andre to do well, he was a big idol for me and a role model for me growing up, so I was always following the Penguins."
In a feature on the NHLPA website in 2021 Beauvillier also mentioned marveling at the likes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang and being "amazed" just watching warmups.
Now, 14 years later, the 27-year-old forward is teammates with Crosby, Malkin and Letang after signing a one-year deal worth $1.25 million in the first few hours of free agency.
Beauvillier has been an occasional thorn in the Penguins' side over his eight-year career, the first seven years of which were spent in the division with the Islanders. He's recorded 10 points (five goals, five assists) in his 25 regular-season games against the Penguins. plus another nine points (four goals, five assists) in 10 playoff games in 2019 and 2021.
Beauvillier is looking forward to being on the other side of things now.
"I feel like I love playing in Pittsburgh," he said. "You know, the fans are great there, and the atmosphere, it makes you a bit more excited to play. Playing this team's always going to be a tough night, so you've always got to be ready. It's always hard to go to Pittsburgh and win a hockey game. Now, I'm glad to be on the good side of it."
Beauvillier's happy joining a familiar face in Letang, too. The two played for the same AAA organization as kids -- though not at the same time, obviously, given the age difference -- and so Beauvillier always looked up to him. He's gotten to know Letang over the years and they now play for the same three-on-three summer league in Montreal. Beauvillier is passionate about raising money and awareness for Alzheimer’s Disease, and Letang has been a participant in Beauvillier's charity spikeball tournaments over the summer.
"I'm super excited to join a guy like him," Beauvillier said of Letang. "Skating with him a little bit in past summers and his compete level, I've learned so much from him already, just from him showing up to the rink and trying to get better even when he's already starting in this league. I was always watching him growing up, and now to call him a teammate is even better."
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Anthony Beauvillier.
Beauvillier, who is listed at 5 foot 11 and 180 pounds, is coming off of an interesting season. He was first traded to the Canucks mid-season in 2022-23. The Canucks traded Beauvillier to the Blackhawks in November of last season, then the Blackhawks flipped Beauvillier to the Predators in March. That's three teams in a single season. He scored two goals and six assists in 22 games with the Canucks, two goals and four assists in 23 games with the Blackhawks, and one goal and two assists in 15 games with the Predators -- for a total of five goals, 12 assists in 60 games. He skated in six playoff games with the Predators, scoring a goal and an assist.
That's pretty low production for Beauvillier, who is typically good for 10-20 goals and 10-20 assists over the course of a full season. The circumstances with the multiple moves didn't exactly help.
"It was obviously not an easy season for me, especially mentally," Beauvillier said. "It was tough. Just getting used to different systems, getting used to different dressing rooms and different guys, getting to know the cities and getting comfortable everywhere wasn't easy. But I feel like I learned a lot last season, just to get comfortable with different groups. I'm looking for more stability now, and I feel like joining the Penguins is going to be good for me."
Beauvillier said the biggest thing he's hoping for is consistency in his game, bringing "what I do best: bringing speed and skill, and I'm tenacious."
While the Penguins will surely try out a number of line combinations in training camp and over the course of the season, Beauvillier seems like a pretty good candidate for third-line wing duty to start, given his skillset and the rest of the pieces on the roster. He's a left-handed shot and naturally a left wing, but split last season fairly evenly on either wing, with a couple games mixed in at center. He said Thursday that he "can play anywhere ... except defenseman and goalie."
Beauvillier said he's had "good conversations with the coaching staff" when it comes to his role this season, but in the end he knows he'll have to earn his ice time.
"That's going to be up to me to prove whatever I can do to have the the best role possible," he said. "Honestly, I just want to bring my my best. I want to be good offensively and defensively, and I feel like the fit for me to come to Pittsburgh was good with the way they play with speed and skill. That's what we've talked about."
If Beauvillier does play on the Penguins' third line, and the stability of being with one team one season allows him to recapture the production he typically had prior to last season, then he could be a real upgrade to a bottom-six that more often than not struggled to produce last season. That could go a long way.
