Pittsburgh Penguins bottom-six forward is being disrespected
One of the most important bottom-six forwards on the Pittsburgh Penguins is not getting any respect, and seems to have been forgotten about by everyone.
If the Penguins want to make the playoffs next season, they will need better contribution from all of their bottom-six forwards, however there is one in particular who has gone under the radar, but who has actually been their best depth scorer.
Valtteri Puustinen has been scoring in incognito mode it seems, as teams have not come to expect it. The 25-year old winger managed to somehow get 20 points while no one was looking, and earned himself a two-year contract extension.
It's hard to believe that Puustinen was a seventh-round pick, yet somehow managed to become one of the best goal scorers in the Penguins farm system when he arrived at the start of the 2021-22 season. He led the entire AHL's Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins in points during his first two seasons with the club.
Pittsburgh is hoping Puustinen can bring even more of that AHL prowess to his NHL game, as they really need all of their depth scorers to excel next season. If Puustinen can add more than his 20 points he got last season, then maybe, just maybe, they can find themselves in a playoff position.
Source: Breakaway on SI
Penguins X-Factor Flying Under the Radar
Source: HockeyDB
Valtteri Puustinen Statistics
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 30 | 159 ANSWERS Pittsburgh Penguins bottom-six forward is being disrespected Will the Pittsburgh Penguins make the playoffs next season? | ||
| Yes | 96 | 60.4 % |
| No | 63 | 39.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
