Who can replace forward Lars Eller for the Penguins?

The Pittsburgh Penguins had a few more bodies at their optional morning skate Wednesday in Cranberry.

In total, 12 players took to the ice. That represented an increase from the eight souls who were present for Monday’s session, a handful of hours before the Penguins were blasted by the Dallas Stars, 7-1, at PPG Paints Arena.

Lars Eller was not there Wednesday. And for good reason.

The sturdy two-way third-line center had been traded to the Washington Capitals roughly 16 hours earlier for a couple of mid-round draft picks.

The feeling in the team’s dressing room at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex of seeing a respected teammate depart wasn’t exactly effervescent.

But none of this was unexpected considering the overall malfunctions of a team with a 6-9-2 record entering the day.

“Where we are in the standings, it’s inevitable that things move around,” Penguins forward Blake Lizotte said. “It’s a great opportunity for guys to step up. I look at it as an opportunity for myself and for the team to pull together and form this next-man-up mentality, which I think can go a long way in terms of a team’s character.”

Via an email with Pittsburgh-based outlets, Penguins president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas mentioned Lizotte by name as someone who can fill the variety of roles Eller inhabited — including both special teams units — during his tenure with the team.

Lizotte opened Wednesday’s home game against the Detroit Red Wings in Eller’s old station as the third-line center but left the contest at 16 minutes, 24 seconds of the first period after being struck in the face by a puck.

There was no immediate word on his status.

Lizotte suffered a concussion after taking a puck to the face during a preseason game Sept. 29 while sitting on the bench. That mishap led to him missing the first 11 games of the regular season. Once he rejoined the active roster Oct. 31, he has primarily operated as a fourth-line center. In six games before Wednesday, he had two goals while averaging 9 minutes, 59 seconds of ice time per contest.

Lizotte acknowledged there was some rust from his respite but professed confidence he can help fill the void created by Eller’s departure.

“I feel where my game is at right now is in a good spot to be strong defensively and offensively,” Lizotte said. “I’d say there’s a few little timing things throughout the game that happen where it’s just not comfortable yet. But for the most part, I feel pretty good out there.”

Forward Drew O’Connor skated extensively on a line with Eller during their shared tenures with the club. Typically deployed as a left winger, he has experience as a center — primarily in the American Hockey League — and could absorb some of Eller’s duties.

He lined up on the left wing of the third line next to Lizotte at the start of Wednesday’s game.

“As a group, we have a lot of centers here and a lot of good players,” O’Connor said. “It will take all of us to fill in that void. Obviously, he was great on the penalty kill and reliable defensively. He was a great guy to have around for the last few years. An awesome guy for me, personally, to learn from. Played a lot with him over the course he was here. An awesome teammate. It was sad to see him go.”

While he was hardly reveling in Eller being jettisoned, rookie forward Sam Poulin was far from being sad Wednesday morning. Recalled Monday, Poulin was a healthy scratch that evening. With Eller gone, Poulin — a first-round draft pick (No. 21 overall) in 2019 — made his season debut at the NHL level Wednesday.

“I feel good, honestly,” said Poulin, flashing one of the few smiles in the team’s dressing room. “I think I prepared the right way. I wanted to stay ready. That’s what I did and I’m just happy to be in.”

Entering Wednesday, Poulin had played only six games (recording a single assist) over parts of two different seasons in his NHL career. This season, with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL, Poulin had posted nine points (three goals, six assists) in 11 games.

Poulin manned the right side of the third line when Wednesday’s game began.

What can he do better in his next NHL contest?

“I think being assertive,” Poulin said. “The first few games I played, I think I was in my head a little bit, overthinking stuff. Wasn’t really playing my game. If I just focus on a couple things, I’ll like what I’ll see (Wednesday) night.”

Poulin’s game isn’t the only thing that has grown.

So has he.

Reporting to the team’s 2023 training camp at a listed 214 pounds, he is now registered at a beefy 227 pounds (and 6-foot-2).

Size and strength aren’t exactly an abundant quality among the incumbent forwards on the Penguins’ roster.

“Without a doubt, it helps,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “When you have size in your lineup, it helps you in so many different ways. Just being strong on the puck, you’re hard to move at the net front, in the battle areas and on the walls. … Physical size and stature is a competitive advantage in and of itself when you utilize it the right way. He’s a guy that potentially could help us as well. He’s strong on the puck.

“One of his biggest strengths of his game is down low playing in the offensive zone, his ability to protect pucks and create offense from below the goal line. He’s strong at the net front, he’s got a good stick, has the ability to score deflection goals, rebound goals, things like that. His size helps him there as well.”