Although the Penguins announced last month that Nick Bjugstad is out for the rest of the playoffs, that may not be the case. GM Jim Rutherford told Josh Yohe of The Athletic (subscription required) that should Pittsburgh make a deep run into the postseason, there is a chance that the center could be available near the end. However, it’s fair to question as to whether or not the team would want to put him in the lineup if that was to happen. The oft-injured Bjugstad played in just 13 regular season games this season and struggled offensively with only a single goal and assist. While he’s a capable player when healthy, asking him to jump into the middle of a late playoff series when he will have missed some much time would be a tough ask.
More from the Metropolitan Division:
- Devils center Nico Hischier is taking advantage of the pandemic and the fact that New Jersey won’t be returning to play to work through the majority of his mandatory Swiss military obligations, notes NHL.com’s David Satriano. He’s a little more than halfway through his 18-week requirement for this year and then will need to spend three weeks per summer for the next six to seven years to fulfill the rest. However, if he participates in the World Championships, he’d get up to three weeks of military credit so expect to see him in that tournament on a regular basis in years that the Devils don’t go deep into the playoffs.
- Capitals blueliner Martin Fehervary and goalie Vitek Vanecek are on their way to Washington in advance of rejoining the team for return workouts, notes J.J. Regan of NBC Sports Washington. While the team hasn’t confirmed that either will be among the ones that will be on their expanded roster, both seem like safe bets to be there. Fehervary played in six games with the Caps in his rookie season and held his own, averaging 15:59 per night. Meanwhile, Vanecek split time with Pheonix Copley with their AHL affiliate in Hershey this season and with the expectation of there being no limits to the number of goalies that teams can carry, it’s logical to think he’ll be among their netminders that are recalled.