The Penguins have been hit hard by the injury bug so far this season but help is on the way. On top of John Marino being removed from the CPRA list, fellow blueliners Kris Letang and Mike Matheson were full participants in practice today and should be available to play on Saturday, notes Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburgh has been forced to use 11 different defenders in the early going this season with just ten games played so far.
Meanwhile, Vensel adds that winger Zach Aston-Reese also travelled with the team on the second leg of their road trip with head coach Mike Sullivan suggesting that he will be a game-time decision at some point in this three-game stretch. The 26-year-old has yet to play this season while recovering from shoulder surgery and will need to be activated off LTIR before being allowed to return.
Elsewhere in the East Division:
- While there are several teams believed to be interested in Blues defenseman Vince Dunn, the Rangers are not among them, reports Larry Brooks of the New York Post. New York certainly has a need on their back end – particularly on the offensive side of things – following the dismissal of Anthony DeAngelo but for now at least, they’re staying away. St. Louis is seeking a first-round pick for Dunn who is making an affordable $1.875MM this season but will be a restricted free agent again this summer and will have arbitration eligibility this time around.
- Although the Sabres were hoping to have one of their top prospects in Jack Quinn available for their AHL season-opener, that wasn’t the case. As Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News details, with Quinn being on Buffalo’s taxi squad just before their schedule was put on pause, he must now go through the same quarantine protocols as the NHL squad even though he hadn’t skated with them for a while due to an upper-body injury. Accordingly, his pro debut will have to wait a little longer.
Bumbling Rangers doing little to build a Cuo winner
Bumbling Rangers?How so?