Danton Heinen may have had a resurgence in his first year with the Pittsburgh Penguins, but he hasn’t been able to find the same fortunes in 2022-23.
To be blunt, the Penguins haven’t gotten anywhere near what was expected from Heinen and had it not been for injuries, he wouldn’t be a regular in the lineup.
When Heinen re-signed for a year at $1 million, it looked like a steal of a deal, but through the teams first half of the season, he’s become unplayable.
It’s become a routine that Heinen will clock the lowest amount of ice time and night after night, he’s failed to take advantage of the slim opportunities given to him.
Other players like Kasperi Kapanen and Drew O’Connor have seen similar ice time numbers through the year but have looked much more capable.
When the Penguins return to full health, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Heinen back to taking healthy scratches while Kapanen or O'Connor take over in the bottom six
At the beginning of the year, it looked like Heinen was on his way to another standout season with six points (3G-3A) in the first five games.
Ever since game six, however, it’s been a much different story; in Heinen’s following 31 games played, he’s only produced an abysmal five assists.
The team raved about his shot when he was promoted to the first line early in the season, but that shot hasn’t found the back of the net since October.
The bottom six has been a volatile issue for the Penguins all season, but Heinen was supposed to be a linchpin this year.
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