Pierre-Olivier Joseph Available For Trade
In early 2021, as the shortened 2020-21 season was getting underway, the Pittsburgh Penguins were dealing with a massive number of injuries on defense. The team was without Mike Matheson, Marcus Pettersson, and Juuso Riikola all at once, forcing them to recall 21-year-old Pierre-Olivier Joseph and put him in the lineup. A few days later Brian Dumoulin and Kris Letang went down as well, meaning suddenly there were very few trusted names available.
The then-rookie Joseph stepped up, logging nearly 26 minutes and recording three assists in just his fifth NHL game. He followed that with a 26:14 performance two nights later, logging more ice time that night than even Sidney Crosby.
One would think that was the origin story for a key contributor, a player who is in the lineup every night thereafter. That wasn’t the case for Joseph, who played just 16 games total that season and just four in 2021-22. Instead of becoming the stud top-four option that many expected, the young defenseman now finds himself battling for a roster spot.
In fact, he could potentially even find himself on his way to a new organization in a few days. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports that last week, Penguins general manager Ron Hextall reached out to all 31 other general managers and let them know that Joseph is available for trade.
That’s because the Penguins are facing a roster crunch on the back end and may have to waive the 23-year-old if they make it through the next week healthy on defense. With seven other defensemen signed to one-way contracts and Ty Smith locked into a spot, there may not be room for Joseph. His $825K cap hit may actually hurt his chances, as he costs slightly more than depth players like Chad Ruhwedel and Mark Friedman.
Today, the Penguins lost forward Radim Zohorna on waivers to the Calgary Flames. Losing another player – especially one with the upside of Joseph – doesn’t make a lot of sense. Perhaps the team can work out a trade before it comes to that, or decide to risk one of the more veteran names instead.
Calgary Flames Claim Radim Zohorna
The Calgary Flames have claimed Radim Zohorna off waivers from the Pittsburgh Penguins. Zohorna, though not cut by the Penguins yet, had been placed on waivers yesterday along with several players ticketed for the minor leagues. He won’t be at risk of that now, as he joins the Flames and will have to stay on the NHL roster.
Zohorna, 26, was kind of a surprise add to waivers yesterday after his performance last year and potential upside. The 6’6″ forward had six points in 17 games with the Penguins, adding 23 hits in the process. That kind of physicality and size should fit right in with the Flames’ bottom-six if he can earn himself regular playing time in Calgary.
Though he played wing for most of his time in Pittsburgh last year, Zohorna does have the ability to play center as well. In fact, he was skating between Danton Heinen and Kasperi Kapanen earlier today as a potential fill-in for Teddy Blueger, out for the time being. Whether he’ll be used in that capacity in Calgary remains to be seen but between him, Adam Ruzicka, Cody Eakin, and Trevor Lewis, the team has several options for the middle of the ice on the fourth line.
One player that likely benefits from the claim is Ryan Poehling, who figures to mix in as the team’s depth center now. While Jeff Carter and Blueger are both getting closer to a return, a young player like Poehling could get some more looks in the meantime.
Waivers: 10/2/22
It’s expected to be another busy day on the waiver wire today as teams continue to trim down their rosters. We’ll keep track of the players being placed on waivers here.
Buffalo Sabres (via NorthStar Bets’ Chris Johnston, awaiting team announcement)
Calgary Flames (via team release)
F Clark Bishop
F Ben Jones
F Matthew Phillips
D Colton Poolman
D Nick DeSimone
G Oscar Dansk
Carolina Hurricanes (via NorthStar Bets’ Chris Johnston, awaiting team announcement)
Dallas Stars (via PuckPedia)
F Riley Tufte
F Marian Studenic
D Alexander Petrovic
Edmonton Oilers (via team release)
Florida Panthers (via Florida Hockey Now’s George Richards, awaiting team announcement)
Los Angeles Kings (via PuckPedia)
Ottawa Senators (via team release)
F Rourke Chartier
F Jake Luccini
D Dillon Heatherington
Pittsburgh Penguins (via team release)
F Alexander Nylander
F Radim Zohorna
F Drake Caggiula
D Xavier Ouellet
G Dustin Tokarski
Seattle Kraken (via team release)
F Jesper Froden
F Cameron Hughes
F Kole Lind
F Max McCormick
F Austin Poganski
F Andrew Poturalski
F Brogan Rafferty
F Carsen Twarynski
D Gustav Olofsson
G Magnus Hellberg
St. Louis Blues (via team release, PuckPedia)
F Nathan Todd
F Will Bitten
D Luke Witkowski
D Steven Santini
Washington Capitals (via team release)
F Beck Malenstyn
F Garrett Pilon
D Gabriel Carlsson
D Dylan McIlrath
D Bobby Nardella
G Zachary Fucale
Drake Caggiula Feeling Fully Healthy
- For his career, when healthy, forward Drake Caggiula has proven he can be an impactful depth player for whatever team he’s been on. The key words there, though, are ‘when healthy.’ Perhaps the most notable injury of Caggiula’s came last season, when the forward missed the final 64 games of the Buffalo Sabres’ season with a herniated disc in his neck. Recently, Caggiula had a chance to speak with Trib Live’s Seth Rorabaugh about his injury last season, his recovery, and his play this preseason. The forward mentioned that before his surgery in February, not only was he unable to play hockey, but his quality of life was severely impacted. However, after having surgery, relief was immediate and he was able to recover. Now, the 28 year old says he feels fully healthy. That much appears clear now, not just from Caggiula’s own words, but he has impressed in training camp as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins, who he signed a one-year, two-way contract with this summer. In three intra-squad scrimmages, Caggiula has three goals, in addition to scoring the Penguins’ only goal of the day in today’s 3-1 loss to the Sabres.
Carter And Blueger Listed As Day-To-Day
- The Penguins are listing centers Jeff Carter and Teddy Blueger as day-to-day, relays Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Carter suffered an upper-body injury in an intrasquad scrimmage last weekend while Blueger was injured in a scrimmage on Tuesday. Meanwhile, prospect forward John Gruden and veteran blueliner Taylor Fedun are also listed as day-to-day with undisclosed ailments.
Latest On Drew O'Connor
Undrafted Pittsburgh Penguins winger Drew O’Connor has done just about everything that could be expected of him at the AHL level, as the 24-year-old has 51 points in 53 career AHL games. O’Connor was also a college hockey star, scoring 59 points in 65 career NCAA games at Dartmouth. What’s eluded him so far in his young career, though, is consistent NHL game action, and consistent minutes with the Penguins may remain elusive early this season thanks to the pressures of the salary cap.
As Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes, O’Connor might find himself sent to AHL Wilkes-Barre Scranton to start the season not because he did not play well enough to earn a roster spot, but instead because of his $750K cap hit and due to the fact that he is exempt from waivers. The Penguins are currently tight up against the salary cap, and in order to remain cap compliant, the team may need to carry less than the maximum 23 players allowed on their active roster. As a result, that could leave O’Connor on the outside looking in even if he plays well enough to earn a depth role, because the team may prefer to send him down rather than place another player such as Ryan Poehling or Josh Archibald on waivers.
Teddy Blueger Suffers Upper-Body Injury At Practice
- Teddy Blueger left today’s practice with the Pittsburgh Penguins partway through and is now being evaluated for an upper-body injury. Blueger is an important part of the team’s forward depth, especially as Jeff Carter deals with an upper-body injury of his own. Ryan Poehling was skating as the third-line center in their absence.
Petry Fined $5,000 For Roughing
- Jeff Petry has received a $5,000 fine for roughing in last night’s game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings. The Pittsburgh newcomer played more than every Penguin except Kris Letang, including nearly seven minutes on the powerplay. Despite the nine man-advantage opportunities, the Penguins lost 6-2, with Petry taking a frustration penalty when he punched the back of Jonatan Berggren‘s head.
Upper-Body Injury For Jeff Carter
- The Penguins announced (Twitter link) that center Jeff Carter left today’s scrimmage early and is being evaluated for an upper-body injury. The 37-year-old had a strong performance last season with 45 points in 76 games while posting his best point-per-game rate since 2017-18 and losing him for any extended period would certainly be an early blow for Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh Penguins Activate Drake Caggiula Off Of IR
- A number of players have been officially activated off of injured-reserve today. Though many of these are not a surprise, some did come with question marks and in the wake of the recent injury updates around the league, particularly Sean Couturier of the Flyers, not everything can always be taken as a given. The Pittsburgh Penguins activated recently-signed forward Drake Caggiula (link). Moving out west, the Vancouver Canucks have activated forward Nils Hoglander and defenseman Tucker Poolman off of IR (link). In the desert, the Vegas Golden Knights activated forwards Brett Howden and Reilly Smith (link).