Emil Larmi Signs In Finland
The Pittsburgh Penguins have some question marks at the goaltending position after a rough playoff performance and at least one member of the depth chart won’t be there next season. Emil Larmi, who signed an entry-level deal with the team in 2019, is on his way back to Finland after inking a new two-year contract with the Lahti Pelicans.
Larmi, 24, has spent the last two seasons with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL, though his performance there has been less than stellar. In six appearances this season he posted just an .845 save percentage, allowing nearly five goals per game. That follows the .883 he put up in 2019-20, certainly not what the Penguins were hoping for when they signed the undrafted netminder.
The team could potentially retain his restricted free agent rights with a qualifying offer, but there may not be much need after he struggled so much in North America. Larmi would technically still be an RFA after this new two-year deal expires, but would be arbitration-eligible, a relatively risky situation for a Penguins team that doesn’t want to commit any contract slots or salary unnecessarily. More likely he will go unqualified this summer and become an unrestricted free agent, perhaps never to play in North America again.
A Case To Keep Pittsburgh's Core Together
- Following another quick playoff exit, there’s a case to be made that the Penguins should be changing up their long-standing core. However, NBC Pro Hockey Talk’s Adam Gretz argues the opposite, believing that the collapse of the goaltending was their downfall which is a case to change things up there than blowing things up. It will be tricky for Pittsburgh to shake up their goaltending though. With minimal cap space and starter Tristan Jarry making just $3.5MM which is well below what a lot of number ones make, it will be tough to be able to afford a significant upgrade without taking away another key piece from their roster.
Snapshots: Rutherford, Urquhart, COVID Protocol
It sure doesn’t sound as though former Pittsburgh Penguins GM Jim Rutherford is done with hockey. The 72-year-old Hall of Fame executive left the Penguins abruptly back in January and it felt as though it could be the end of an illustrious front office career. However, it didn’t take long for speculation to mount that Rutherford wanted to get back into the management game. Now, his interest is official. PBI Sports Agency has announced that they now officially represent Rutherford, who is looking for new “NHL management opportunities.” The GM and President of the Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes for 20 years and GM and Executive Vice President of the Penguins for another seven, not to mention considerable time spent in the OHL, there are few in hockey with as much front office experience as Rutherford. If he wants a new job in the league, PBI shouldn’t have a hard time finding him one.
- San Diego Gulls assistant coach David Urquhart is moving to the college game and returning to his old stomping grounds. The Anaheim Ducks’ affiliate has announced that Urquhart has accepted the head coach position at McGill University, where he was an assistant for four years before joining the Gulls in 2018. Urquhart also played at McGill and was one the rare four-year Canadian collegiate players to go on to have an extended pro career, playing three seasons in the AHL and another three in Italy. While USports pales in comparison to its American counterpart, the NCAA, McGill is one of its most highly regarded institutions and based in a high-publicity area in Montreal. While Urquhart’s move was clearly impacted by loyalty to his university, it could also lead to greater heights in his career, especially if he finds success in his first head coaching position.
- The NHL is loosening it’s COVID Protocol restrictions as it relates to fans. With many playoff teams having already received permission from local authorities to host increasing amounts of fans, the league is moving forward with improving that spectator experience. The NHL has announced that, beginning in the second round, fans will no longer be required to wear masks at games. Individual teams may still enforce a mask mandate if local health policies insist, but the league will no longer do the same. Additionally, the glass behind the penalty boxes and benches, initially removed to allow for more breathing room for teams, can also be removed if teams are 85% vaccinated. This will be the case for most remaining American teams.
Evgeni Malkin Travels With The Team To New York, Casey DeSmith Does Not
The Penguins could get center Evgeni Malkin back for one of the next two games in their first-round series against the Islanders but the same can’t be said for goaltender Casey DeSmith. Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that Malkin accompanied the team to New York while DeSmith did not. Malkin is believed to be dealing with a recurrence of the knee trouble that caused him to miss most of the second half of the season while DeSmith has missed the last two-plus weeks due to an undisclosed injury. Game three of that series goes on Thursday.
Minor Transactions: 05/18/21
With the playoffs underway for almost everyone, the taxi squad shuffle has ended. The unique season that saw more daily transactions than ever before is coming to an end, hopefully never to return. Still, there are going to be some moves from teams preparing for their first-round matchups, or players signing overseas. We’ll keep track of the notable minor moves right here.
- The Washington Capitals have recalled Connor McMichael, Brett Leason, Paul Ladue, and Alexander Alexeyev from the AHL, though the group won’t be traveling to Boston with the active roster. McMichael especially has a lot of excitement surrounding him after scoring 27 points in 33 games during his first professional season at the AHL. The 20-year-old was the 25th overall pick in 2019 and should compete for a spot on the Capitals roster next season, even if he doesn’t get into any playoff matches this spring.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins recalled some “Black Aces” of their own, bringing Anthony Angello, Kasper Bjorkqvist, Drew O’Connor, and Pierre-Olivier Joseph up from the AHL. Joseph, 21, played 16 games for Pittsburgh earlier this season and showed off his incredible potential, recording five points in the process and helping the team stay above water while nearly their entire defense corps was injured.
- The Montreal Canadiens have recalled Carey Price and Brendan Gallagher from their short conditioning stint, bringing them back from the AHL along with Xavier Ouellet. The Canadiens start their series against the Maple Leafs on Thursday night, with Gallagher expected to play in his first NHL game since April 5.
- The Nashville Predators have recalled Philip Tomasino from the Chicago Wolves, but he will report to the non-game group for the time being. The top prospect led the Wolves in goals this season and scored 32 points in 29 games. Just 19, he took advantage of the fact that the OHL didn’t play this season and showed what he could do at the professional level.
Further transactions will be added throughout the day.
Pittsburgh Penguins Activate Brandon Tanev Off Injured Reserve
The Pittsburgh Penguins have been playing well, but should receive a big boost on their bottom-six as forward Brandon Tanev, who has been out since March 18 with an upper-body injury, has been activated off of injured reserve. He’s expected to be in the lineup for Pittsburgh’s for today’s game against the New York Islanders.
Tanev should provide the team with quite a bit of energy, which is what he’s known for and why Pittsburgh went out and signed the 29-year-old to a six-year, $21MM contract in the summer of 2019. That was a high price to pay for a bottom-six player. However, the Penguins felt that his energy and abrasiveness was critical to getting the team deep into the playoffs.
The forward has been impressive, however, since joining Pittsburgh. He tallied 244 hits in 2019-20 to go with 11 goals and 25 points. His production looked like he might meet with some career highs this year before he got injured. He had seven goals and 16 points in 32 games to go with 139 hits.
Casey DeSmith's Availability For Series Opener In Question
- After Pittsburgh was without both Tristan Jarry and Casey DeSmith due to injuries at the end of the regular season, the Penguins got some good and bad news on the goalie front today. Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that Jarry is ready to go but DeSmith suffered a lower-body injury in practice and his status for their series opener against the Islanders is uncertain. If he’s unable to dress, Maxime Lagace – who had a shutout in the season finale – would serve as Jarry’s backup.
Penguins Optimistic That Brandon Tanev Will Be Ready For The Start Of The Playoffs
The Penguins are optimistic that winger Brandon Tanev will be cleared to play for the start of the playoffs next week, notes Mike DeFabo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The veteran has been dealing with upper-body injuries in the second half of the season with his latest one keeping him out for more than a month. However, he has resumed skating with the team in recent days which bodes well for his return. Tanev was in the midst of his best offensive season before the injury bug struck as he has seven goals and nine assists in 32 games this season while his physicality (he’s averaging over 4.3 hits per game which is the highest rate of his career) will be a welcome addition for the grittier postseason style.
Pittsburgh Penguins Sign Valtteri Puustinen
The Pittsburgh Penguins have inked a very interesting prospect, signing Valtteri Puustinen to a two-year entry-level contract. The deal will kick in for the 2021-22 campaign and keeps Puustinen from becoming an unrestricted free agent next month. Penguins assistant GM Patrik Allvin released a short statement on his newest player:
Valtteri is a skilled forward with a great shot who utilizes his speed to play the style of game that we want to play here in Pittsburgh. He’s really matured as a player over the last couple of years playing with HPK and the Finnish national team, which is really exciting for us.
You wouldn’t expect Puustinen to be a seventh-round pick if you’d watched him this season, racking up goals and points for HPK in Finland’s Liiga. The 21-year-old scored 21 goals in 51 games, good enough for eighth in the league. That performance followed his breakout 2019-20 campaign when he scored 40 points in 54 games, a number he topped by one this time around.
If there is anything that will continue to hold Puustinen back it’s his size, as he comes in at just 5’9″. That has become less of a concern in recent seasons but there’s no overlooking the fact that he will be outmatched physically at the NHL level. If he’s to make it, he’ll likely have to first prove that his strong offensive awareness can lead to production at the AHL level.
Evgeni Malkin To Be Activated From Injured Reserve
The Pittsburgh Penguins will have Evgeni Malkin back in the lineup tonight for the first time since March 16. The big center will be activated from injured reserve and make his return to the Penguins roster against the Philadelphia Flyers tonight with just enough time to get his legs back under him before the playoffs. The Penguins have four games remaining and currently sit two points ahead of the Washington Capitals for first place in the East Division.
Malkin, 34, has had a season to forget, struggling at times even when healthy. Still, the future Hall of Fame forward has eight goals and 24 points in 29 games and changes the Penguins lineup considerably. If he can find the level that made him a Hart Trophy candidate last season—when he scored 25 goals and 74 points in 55 games—Pittsburgh will be even tougher to take down.
Of course, with good news usually comes bad and the Penguins had some of that today too. Head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters including Rob Rossi of The Athletic that Mike Matheson is out on a week-to-week basis after taking a puck to the face on Saturday. After struggling earlier in the season the 27-year-old Matheson had really found his game lately, logging important minutes for the Penguins on the back end. Evan Rodrigues is listed as day-to-day and Brandon Tanev, though skating, will not play on Monday.
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