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Penguins A to Z: Jansen Harkins earned trust. Is that enough to earn a new contract? | TribLIVE.com
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Penguins/NHL

Penguins A to Z: Jansen Harkins earned trust. Is that enough to earn a new contract?

Seth Rorabaugh
Seth Rorabaugh
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AP
The Penguins claimed forward Jansen Harkins off waivers from the Winnipeg Jets on Oct. 2.

With the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 2023-24 season coming to an end without any postseason action, TribLive will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 51 individuals signed to an NHL contract — including those whose deals do not begin until next season — with the organization, from fourth-line center Noel Acciari to reserve winger Radim Zohorna.

This series is scheduled to be published every weekday leading into the second day of the NHL Draft on June 29.

(Note: All contract information courtesy of Cap Friendly.)

Jansen Harkins

Position: Center

Shoots: Left

Age: 26

Height: 6-foot-2

Weight: 197 pounds

2023-24 NHL statistics: 45 games, four points (zero goals, four assists), 8:12 of ice time per game

2023-24 AHL statistics: 14 games, 12 points (five goals, seven assists)

Contract: In the final year of a two-year contract with a salary cap hit of $850,000. Pending unrestricted free agent this upcoming offseason.

Acquired: Claimed off waivers, Oct. 2, 2023

This season: Jansen Harkins joined the Penguins at a curious time.

Toward the end of their preseason, with a handful of hopefuls such as forwards Radim Zohorna and Valtteri Puustinen staking their claims to be part of the regular season-opening roster, management opted to reach into the waivers pool and plucked Harkins from the Winnipeg Jets.

As a second-round pick (No. 47 overall) in 2015 who had put up solid numbers throughout his career in the American Hockey League, there was some measure of pedigree to Harkins. And under new president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas, the Penguins placed greater stress on internal competition for roster spots.

Harkins won that competition with the benefit of only two preseason games with the Penguins, including a 2-1 home loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Oct. 4 where he connected with Puustinen on a slick passing sequence that led to a goal by defenseman Xavier Ouellet.

Any aspirations that Harkins would carry over that success to the regular season did not materialize at the start of the campaign. In the first four games of 2023-24, Harkins was primarily deployed as a right winger on the third line and did not generate any offense and took a tripping penalty that led to an opposing power-play goal during a 6-3 road loss to the Red Wings on Oct. 18.

That led to Harkins being waived the next day. After going unclaimed, he was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton by Oct. 20 and produced at a steady rate with that team, posting nine points (four goals, five assists) in 11 AHL contests before being recalled again by Nov. 18.

Harkins was shuffled between the NHL and AHL roster twice before becoming a fixture in the lineup for 30 consecutive games starting Nov. 25.

Much of that time was spent stationed as a left winger on the fourth line with Noel Acciari at center and Jeff Carter at right wing. Coach Mike Sullivan grew to trust that line with plenty of defensive zone starts.

It was in that deployment that Acciari’s only recordable offense at the NHL level during the 2023-24 — four assists — occurred.

Perhaps his most notable moment of the season came during a 7-6 home win against the rival Philadelphia Flyers on Feb. 25 when he rocked defenseman Jamie Drysdale with an open-ice hit.

Injuries began to pockmark Harkins’ season beginning with a two-game absence Feb. 14-15 due to a concussion then a one-game respite on March 5 because of an undisclosed ailment.

That was followed by Harkins landing on long-term injured reserve after he suffered a right-hand injury during a fight with forward Beck Malenstyn during a 6-0 home loss to the Washington Capitals on March 7.

By April 7, Harkins was sent back to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on a conditioning assignment and had three points (two goals, one assist) in three games before rejoining the active NHL roster for the final two games of the regular season.

The future: After disenchanting Sullivan fairly early into the season, Harkins found a way to regain a steady role in fairly quick order as he settled into the fourth line with Acciari and Carter by midseason.

Harkins is an adequate skater who is willing to work the boards and throw the body around, but not at a proficient enough level to overlook his considerable offensive limitations at the NHL level. And with the likes of forward prospects such as Sam Poulin and Vasily Ponomarev a year further into their respective developments, there appear to be better options than Harkins to fill out the 2024-25 lineup.

Clearly, Harkins has earned the trust of coaches. But if that’s enough to earn a new contract this upcoming offseason remains to be seen.

Follow the Penguins all season long.

Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.

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Categories: Penguins/NHL | Sports
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