Hello. We are back for another edition of pro and con regarding one of the Pittsburgh Penguins youngest players. A couple of weeks ago we looked into the pros and cons of keeping both Ben Kindel and Harrison
Brunicke in the NHL this season beyond nine games, and Kindel made that decision pretty easy for everybody.
He has been so good he pretty much forced the Penguins into keeping him and keeps getting better with every single game he plays. He is quickly playing his way into the Calder Trophy discussion. Will he produce enough points to actually win it? That remains to be seen. But he is already up to five goals and driving his own line as an 18-year-old.
He is not just carrying an NHL line as a teenager, he is carrying what has become a pretty dominant line and arguably the Penguins’ best, most consistent line against top NHL players. It is a staggering development, and a great one for both the short-term and long-term outlook of the team and franchise.
Things have not gone as smoothly for Brunicke. At least not recently.
In fact, things have been quite a challenge for him over the past two weeks.
When we first looked at the pros and cons of keeping the teenagers in the NHL, both players were off to outstanding starts. Their play has gone in very different directions since then, and the coaching staffs usage of them has told that story very clearly. While Kindel will still get the occasional night off for developmental purposes, Brunicke went through a stretch where he sat three times in four games.
That was not load management or a developmental plan.
That was getting scratched because your game was slumping and the team might have been trying to extend a decision on whether or not to keep him here.
On Monday, Brunicke played in his ninth game of the season for the Penguins, which means it is now decision time for the team on what to do with him.
Keep him in Pittsburgh and use a year of his entry-level contract, or send him back to Juniors.
The pro for keeping him in Pittsburgh
The biggest argument in favor of keeping him in Pittsburgh is that he will get a year of NHL coaching and development, while also not having to play at a level where he has nothing else to prove.
Honestly, what does him going back to the Western Hockey League and dominating 16-and 17-year olds really do for his development?
The ideal scenario for Brunicke would be a trip to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and getting time in the American Hockey League. That would be the next logical step in his development.
Too advanced for junior hockey.
Not quite advanced enough for consistent NHL hockey.
If only there was a middle-ground where a prospect could get meaningful playing time and develop.
Well … there is … but he is not actually eligible to play there due to an insane rule that severely limits his and the team’s options.
Given the options at their disposal, there is a good argument to be made keeping him in the NHL could be the best move for him and his development. The Penguins were never going to play him in all 82 games and could still give him occasional games off, or even stretches of games off if the struggles become too much. They could also easily loan him to Canada for the World Junior Championships and allow him to get that experience as well.
He can still get a lot of important coaching and development time at the highest level, and he can still get the valuable experience of playing in the WJC against a higher-level of competition than he would see in the WHL.
There would be some rocky moments, but that is to be expected.
The other pro is the simple fact it allows the Penguins to keep some additional youth in the lineup and not have to rely on the likes of Matt Dumba or Connor Clifton to play minutes. We know what they can do (and what they can not do). We also know they are not long-term parts of the team, nor are they good enough to move the needle in a meaningful way this season.
Even if Brunicke has some struggles, he still provides a lot of upside for a potential positive impact even this season.
The cons of keeping him in Pittsburgh
Simply put, he has not been very good after his initial first handful of games, and when paired with fellow rookie Owen Pickering things have rapidly gone off the rails for both them and the team. In only 14 minutes of 5-on-5 ice-time together that duo has been outscored by a 4-0 margin. That is problematic, and it is not just bad luck. They have had some serious growing pains and been overmatched at times.
Beyond that duo, the Penguins have also been bleeding goals against when Brunicke has been on the ice no matter who has defensive partner has been.
They are allowing 3.53 goals per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 play, the third-worst mark on the team ahead of only Pickering and Clifton.
The eye test says he’s also played a big role in a good number of those goals against.
He just has not been very good.
Nobody expected the Penguins to compete for a playoff spot this season, but through the first 14 games of the season they are in a spot and if they have a third-pairing that is getting run over most nights that is going to quickly impact whether or not they are able to maintain that.
Is that the goal anybody was expecting this season coming into it?
Not at all. But sometimes results change your expectations.
The Penguins have to balance trying to maintain a competitive start with what is best for the long-term development of their team and one of their best prospects.
Brunicke might be best served staying in Pittsburgh, which might benefit the Penguins more next season or the year after.
Keeping him in Pittsburgh might not benefit the team this season, at least not based on the way his past few games have gone.
Which matters more?
That is the big question Kyle Dubas might have to answer in the coming days when making his decision.
