72 Patric Hornqvist RW

Penguins' Patric Hornqvist: Skating solo

Hornqvist remains on track to be ready for Opening Night on Oct. 4 against the Blues. The biggest question facing the winger heading into the season -- other than perhaps his choice of music -- is where he slots into the lineup. The gritty net-front presence has paired well with Sidney Crosby in the past, but coach Mike Sullivan seems to like the speed combo of Jake Guentzel and Conor Sheary on the "Sid & the Kids" line, which could push the 30-year-old Swede into a third-line role.

Penguins' Patric Hornqvist: Team divulges winger's hand injury

This may come as a shocking development to Penguins fans, but consider that the club has known about his ailment all along, and evidently team brass felt that the start of training camp was the most appropriate time to alert the public. The net-front resident produced 44 points (21 goals, 23 assists) in 70 games last regular season, despite averaging a tick under 16 minutes of average ice time per contest.

Penguins' Patric Hornqvist: May be relegated to third line

With Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin -- both of whom should wind up as first-ballot Hall of Famers -- projected to direct the offense on the top two lines, it could be up to Hornqvist to flash his net-front puck skills on a unit traditionally reserved for checking specialists. The 30-year-old rang in a career-high 227 hits last season, so perhaps he'll see more of a balance between the even-strength shifts he takes in the offensive zone versus the defensive third of the ice. Either way, as a consistent all-around contributor, don't expect much of a fantasy slide with Hornqvist unless he gets significantly less than the 3:07 of power-play time he'd seen over the past three seasons.

Penguins' Patric Hornqvist: Scores game-winner despite broken finger

In a twist of fate, Hornqvist sealed Pittsburgh's second straight title against the team he was drafted by back in 2005. Even without the no-movement clause, it would be hard to imagine general manager Jim Rutherford not protecting the 30-year-old from being taken in the Vegas expansion draft. Barring the need for extensive surgery, Hornqvist should be 100 percent heading into the 2017-18 campaign.

Penguins' Patric Hornqvist: Buries former team with Cup winner

After a back-and-forth affair that featured plenty of scoring chances for both teams, Hornqvist broke the goose egg with 1:35 remaining in regulation, silencing the raucous home crowd at Bridgestone Arena. Although it was a somewhat anti-climactic way to win the Stanley Cup (mostly because it prevented a sudden-death situation in overtime), the biggest goal of Hornqvist's career came against the team that selected him with the last pick of the 2005 draft (230th overall), so it was rather fitting. Hornqvist finishes the postseason with five goals, four assists and 44 shots on net in 19 games.