The Penguins have numbers at center, and a lot of them are old

With the Pittsburgh Penguins scheduled to report to training camp next week, here is a position-by-position look at their roster. Today, a glance at their centers.

Sidney Crosby isn’t what he once was.

But he’s still better than most 37-year-olds have ever been in the NHL.

Last season, at a ripe 36, Crosby dragged the highly flawed Penguins to the precipice of a playoff berth by posting 30 points (10 goals, 20 assists) in his final 18 games of the season.

As he enters his 20th NHL season, seemingly the only question about Crosby is when he will sign a highly anticipated contract extension that potentially would ensure he finishes his career with the Penguins.

Evgeni Malkin, Crosby’s elder by one year, seemed to bear the ravages of age much more openly than Crosby in 2023-24. After getting off to a quick start with 13 points (seven goals, six assists) in his first 10 games of the campaign, Malkin largely lurched through the middle part of the season until he, too, enjoyed a surge in the final weeks of 2023-24, generating 19 points (nine goals, 10 assists) in 19 games.

While still productive by any measure, Malkin looks exactly like a 38-year-old superstar nearing the end of his career.

Beyond their top two lines, the Penguins have plenty of options at center further down the trough.

Arguably, Lars Eller was the Penguins’ best free agent acquisition during the 2023 offseason as the 35-year-old offered his standard blend of sturdy by-the-book defense while chipping in a steady 31 points (15 goals, 16 assists) over 82 games.

As satisfactory as Eller was in his first season as the Penguins’ primary No. 3 center, he might be challenged for that role by newcomer Kevin Hayes.

Acquired via trade in June, Hayes, 32, is trying to regain the form that made him an All-Star as recently at 2023.

When things are going well for Hayes, he offers a reliable two-way game. When they aren’t going well, he’s the unappetizing player who was jettisoned in trades each of the past two offseasons by the Philadelphia Flyers and St. Louis Blues.

Noel Acciari, 32, largely served as the Penguins’ fourth-line center in 2023-24, but with the arrival of Hayes, Acciari could be slotted in on the right wing of that line (as suggested by president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas). Regardless, Acciari is more than capable in the middle and was one of the team’s leaders in faceoffs — winning 54.5% of his draws — last season.

Primarily a center throughout most of his still-young professional career, prospect Sam Poulin might have to move to left wing if he is to make the NHL roster out of training camp. A first-round pick (No. 21 overall) in 2021, Poulin, 23, has ample experience at either position.

Another player who might have to move to his left is newcomer Blake Lizotte. An energetic banger-and-crasher who spent the first six years of his NHL existence with the Los Angeles Kings, the 26-year-old joins the Penguins in hopes of providing some energy to a mostly docile lineup. Primarily a center throughout his career, Lizotte likely will have to move to the port side.

One of the more intriguing arrivals this offseason is Cody Glass. A former first-round pick (No. 6 overall) of the Vegas Golden Knights, the 25-year-old has plenty of ability but has yet to gain substantial traction in the NHL.

A center by trade, Glass, who was acquired in a trade with the Nashville Predators in August, likely will need to find his footing as a right winger to make this roster.

Vasily Ponomarev, 22, was part of the bundle of assets the Penguins received when they traded All-Star forward Jake Guentzel to the Carolina Hurricanes in March. He likely would have seen NHL action with the Penguins were it not for a high-ankle sprain that finished his season prematurely in March.

Almost exclusively a center, the talented playmaker likely will open the 2024-25 campaign with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League because of the numbers at center on the NHL roster (and certainly not because of any deficiencies in his abilities).

Other options include 24-year-old prospect Jonathan Gruden, who is capable of playing all three forward positions, and 26-year-old journeyman Joona Koppanen.

Drew O’Connor, a 26-year-old who did quite a bit to secure a steady role as the first-line left winger last season, also has significant experience as bottom-six center.