With every passing game, it becomes more and more clear that the Pittsburgh Penguins never should have cut Radim Zohorna entering the regular season.
In his return to the Penguins, Zohorna put together a respectable training camp and solid preseason, yet was still sent to the AHL to start the year.
Zohorna luckily cleared waivers and was replaced in the lineup by Jansen Harkins.
In fairness to Harkins, he did earn his role; he too looked stellar in his brief tryout, but nothing translated to the regular season.
After four games, Harkins was swapped out for Zohorna and the impact was felt right away.
Zohorna scored in his season debut and brought immediate life to a third line that only had a combined one point heading into that game.
In the six games that followed, Zohorna has scored two more times and tallied an assist for four total points.
His most recent goal against the Anaheim Ducks turned out to be the game winner and a perfect example of what makes him such a useful player to the team.
Zohorna’s 6-foot-6 frame makes him a sizable option as a net-front presence; while this goal wasn’t particularly a screen play, he knows how to be around the next to get to loose pucks and score those dirty goals.
It’ll take a lot for the Penguins to take Zohorna out of the lineup, he’s performed well and earned his role as a solid depth piece.
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