After missing 20 games, Juuso Riikola is back on the active roster. The Pittsburgh Penguins have activated the young defenseman off injured reserve, while replacing him there with Jared McCann. McCann, who is dealing with an upper-body injury, has been placed on IR retroactive to March 7. Josh Currie has also been moved to the taxi squad after the team recalled Anthony Angello from it.
Riikola is the biggest story today, given how long he’s been out for the Penguins. After playing just two games for the team in January, he suffered an upper-body injury and was eventually moved to long-term injured reserve. If you’re thinking ’Riikola isn’t that important anyway,’ the Penguins obviously disagreed when they handed him a two-year, $2.3MM deal in September. He had played in just 73 NHL games to that point, but the undrafted defenseman had obviously shown enough to lock down a regular role on the active roster, if not in the everyday lineup.
Now is his opportunity to show the new management group what he can do. Ron Hextall and Brian Burke have no allegiance to a player like Riikola, who was brought in and signed before they arrived, and perhaps that’s why Josh Yohe of The Athletic listed him as “Sure, he’s available” in his recent look at the trade status of every player on the Penguins’ roster. As long as he gets in the lineup, he’ll have a chance to prove he still belongs.
The other news is obviously McCann, who had just started to find his way again in Pittsburgh. On a four-game point streak, the young forward left his last game in the second period and didn’t return. He was another player that was trying to show the new front office his worth, but he’ll now be out at least a few games after being moved to IR. In 17 games this season, McCann has ten points.
Riikola is Marc-Andre Bergeron without the offense.
Trade him. Waive him. Whatever.
If you can save even a penny, get rid of him, bump PO Joseph up the depth chart and find what we really need…a middle six player who can play center or wing.