Penguins' Blake Lizotte embraced change in deployment at cost of individual stats

Blake Lizotte wasn’t trying to be prophetic.

He certainly couldn’t have known that shortly after discussing the reality of roster reconstruction and organizational change for non-playoff teams, the Pittsburgh Penguins would make a seismic alteration to the franchise by parting ways with longtime coach Mike Sullivan.

However, Lizotte, chatting with reporters during the Penguins’ end-of-season interview sessions, alluded to the potential of something like that transpiring.

“It’s a success-driven business,” Lizotte said April 18. “We all want to win, and when you don’t, things have to change. That’s just the way it is. I think it’s an exciting time, and there’s also some uncertainty.”

It seems Lizotte, a bottom-six forward approaching the back end of a two-year, $3.7 million contract signed ahead of 2024-25, should hardly feel secure for this upcoming campaign.

That said, president of hockey operations/general manager Kyle Dubas may opt to keep Lizotte around for 2025-26 after taking a look at his first season with the Penguins and a thrifty upcoming $1.85 million salary cap hit.

Lizotte, 27, joined the Penguins after spending the entirety of his NHL career, parts of six seasons, with the Los Angeles Kings from 2019-24.

While injuries — primarily a pair of concussions — limited Lizotte to 59 games in Year 1 with the Penguins, the 5-foot-9 winger produced at a respectable rate, tying a career high in goals (11) and adding nine assists.

He averaged 12 minutes, 43 seconds of nightly ice time and won 51% of his faceoffs, skating often as the Penguins’ fourth-line center.

Eight of Lizotte’s 11 goals on the year came over a 20-goal span, starting from Oct. 31, when he made his belated debut after recovering from a preseason concussion, through Dec. 23.

During that stretch, Lizotte was sidelined again with a concussion Nov. 13, only seven games after suiting up for the first time in the regular season.

Lizotte steered clear of injuries until early April, when he suffered an undisclosed season-ending ailment that kept him out of the Penguins’ final four contests.

“Pretty tough year in terms of injuries with the start here, especially in a new organization,” he said. “Missing the first two months of the year, essentially, was tough, but I found a way to kind of adjust as quickly as I had to on the fly. But definitely on the injury front, hope to be healthier next year.”

Lizotte’s goal-scoring tailed off considerably from late December onward as he managed only three goals over his final 39 games.

That said, his goal total is made more impressive coupled with the fact he only recorded 51 shots on the year.

Of the Penguins’ full-time players this past season, Lizotte’s shot percentage of 21.6% led the club. (Thirty-five-goal scorer Rickard Rakell was next at 17.2%.)

Lizotte’ deployment and duties were tinkered with throughout season.

Specifically, the Penguins tasked Lizotte with assuming a more defensive role, akin to that of frequent linemate Noel Acciari.

As a result, defensive-zone starts and penalty-killing duties abounded, whereas goal-scoring opportunities diminished.

However, Lizotte proved a good soldier, even if his individual statistics suffered as a byproduct.

“Everybody wants to score in this league and have opportunities to score,” Lizotte said. “But ultimately, it’s a team game and what the team (needed) was a more defensive role for me. I accepted that in that time frame to try to get us to the playoffs and ultimately the Stanley Cup. I’m not an arrogant, prideful — I’ll play what role they need me to play if it’s going to give us the best chance to win. … Everybody wants to score, but not everybody wants to play defense. I think it’s important to accept the role that you’re given, and that role can change throughout the season, game to game.”

Note: Former Penguins defenseman Filip Kral signed with HC Kometo Brno in his native Czechia on Tuesday. In 61 games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins this past season, he scored 29 points (seven goals, 22 assists). With regard to his NHL status, Kral is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent July 1.