Saturday: Hinostroza has cleared waivers, Friedman reports.
Friday: The Pittsburgh Penguins have placed Vinnie Hinostroza on waivers today, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. The move would pave the way for Hinostroza to be re-assigned to the Penguins’ AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins. Hinostroza is a pending unrestricted free agent with a $775k cap hit.
It appears that the recent news of Noel Acciari and Rickard Rakell nearing returns from injured reserve has shaken Hinostroza’s grip on a roster spot. Hinostroza’s play so far this season has done him no favors either, though. The 29-year-old was given the chance to make an impact by head coach Mike Sullivan, even getting looks in scoring-line roles. He only delivered one goal and three points this season, which is a far cry in terms of scoring pace from his career-high of 16 goals and 39 points.
A genuinely skilled forward, Hinostroza has struggled to be consistently effective in the NHL, a league with relentless physicality and unmatched pace. A former AHL All-Star, Hinostroza has become more of a depth forward who can fill a scoring role in a pinch rather than someone who can be truly relied upon to carry any sort of offensive burden over an extended period. The Penguins hoped he might provide some flair to their revamped bottom six, but he seems to have not been a lasting fit.
With the waiver placement today, Hinostroza appears ticketed for an AHL assignment. He actually began the year in the AHL, and scored four points in five games. Should he end up clearing and sent to Wilkes-Barre Scranton, the AHL’s Penguins would be receiving a significant offensive reinforcement.
Solid 4th liner with the occasional chip in a team like Minnesota could use the depth and character if Guerin wasn’t so dense about the cap and how it works.
You tell ’em Wilf. The guy first appeared in an NHL lineup in 2015. Since then he been moved out by 6 teams (Chicago twice) and had 4 stints in the minors. Yes, NHL GMs should be fighting over the guy but they don’t know their way around the cap like you do.
Put on waivers during the “Dad’s Trip”, c’mon lol.
Second year in a row a player got put on waivers during the “Dad’s Trip”. Last year it was McGinn, who was then traded three days later while the trip was still going on. Absolutely brutal.
They need to get Rakell back in the lineup as soon as possible. Players like to say it’s a business when they are free agents. It works both ways. It’s a business.
I’m not mad about it, I was joking lol. Still sucks with the timing.
I’ve liked Hinostroza’s game way more than Acciari or Nieto.