Penguins Place Evgeni Malkin On Injured Reserve
The Penguins placed Evgeni Malkin on injured reserve Monday, per a team announcement. He left Saturday’s game against the Kraken in the first period because of a lower-body injury. The team recalled winger Jesse Puljujärvi from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to fill his roster spot.
Malkin appeared to injure his left leg in a collision with Kraken center Chandler Stephenson at center ice. He took one shift after the play but departed for the locker room shortly thereafter. The team has not issued a timeline for his return.
Any long-term absence from a top-six forward is likely a season-ender for the Pens, who have gone 3-6-3 since the New Year and sit last in the Metropolitan Division with 48 points. Their above-average offense was the only thing keeping the club afloat – only the Sharks have allowed more goals than Pittsburgh’s 185 – and Malkin is still an extremely important contributor with 25 assists and 34 points through 47 games.
The all-time great missed four games with an unrelated upper-body injury earlier this month. Pittsburgh went 1-2-1 during that stretch and averaged 2.5 goals per game.
Malkin had been skating in his usual second-line center spot, most recently flanked by Michael Bunting and Philip Tomasino. Puljujärvi won’t slide in there as a direct replacement but is expected to see third-line duties while Cody Glass slides up to center Bunting and Tomasino, PuckPedia projects. While Pittsburgh has 14 forwards on the active roster without Malkin, Blake Lizotte and Bryan Rust are day-to-day with an illness and a lower-body injury, respectively, and won’t play Monday against the Sharks.
Puljujärvi, 26, comes back up after being reassigned to WBS nearly two weeks to the day. Prior to his clearing waivers and subsequent demotion, the 2016 fourth-overall pick had three goals and six assists for nine points in 25 games. He barely played in December, at one point going a month between games while sitting in the press box.
The big-bodied Finn logged a goal and two assists with a minus-two rating in a trio of appearances for the Baby Pens this month. He’s among Pittsburgh’s fastest skaters with a top speed of 22.66 mph this season, per NHL EDGE.
Penguins Recall Bokondji Imama, Assign Owen Pickering To AHL
The Penguins have added some toughness to their roster heading into tonight’s game versus Seattle. The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled winger Bokondji Imama from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. To make room on the roster, blueliner Owen Pickering was sent to the minors.
Imama has yet to play in the NHL this season but has seen time at the top level in each of the last three seasons, spanning 15 games overall. In those outings, he has one goal along with 17 penalty minutes and 45 hits while averaging a little under six minutes a night of playing time.
The 28-year-old is a well-known pugilist in the minors, however. Imama has surpassed the 100-PIM mark in four of his five seasons in the minors and is on pace to do so again this season. Through 24 AHL appearances, he has 47 minutes in the box to go along with three goals and two assists. He’s playing on a one-year, two-way deal worth the league minimum of $775K.
As for Pickering, he’s in his first professional season after wrapping up his junior career last year. He started the season in the minors, getting into a dozen games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton where he had just a single goal before being recalled in mid-November.
Since then, the 20-year-old has largely played a regular role when healthy (though he did miss time with a concussion). Overall, Pickering has played in 25 games with Pittsburgh, collecting a goal and two assists in just under 15 minutes a night of playing time. He’ll now have a chance to play a bigger role for the time being in the minors. He carries a cap charge of $886.7K, meaning Pittsburgh will get some minor cap savings from these moves.
Penguins’ Bryan Rust Day-To-Day With Lower-Body Injury
The Pittsburgh Penguins will once again be without top-line winger Bryan Rust, who head coach Mike Sullivan listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury, per Josh Yohe of The Athletic. Rust left the team’s Thursday matchup against Anaheim in the second period, after taking a big hit from Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas. Rust has already missed seven games this season. He was placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury two separate times in October.
Rust has continued to stand as one of Pittsburgh’s top forwards, and a fantastic compliment to superstar Sidney Crosby, this season. He has 19 goals and 38 points in 43 games, putting him on pace for 36 goals and 72 points. Both marks would be career-highs for Rust, who so far hasn’t managed more than 28 goals (set in 2023-24) and 58 points (set in 2021-22) in a single season.
That’s largely thanks to a perennial challenge with the injury bug. Through his 11 years in the NHL, Rust has only managed to appear in more than 65 games three times. He was still finding his way to top-end scoring for the first two occurrences – the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons, when Rust only scored 38 points in 69 games and 35 points in 72 games respectively. He scored a bit more in his healthiest season: the 2022-23 campaign, when he scored 46 points in 81 games – but that year still stands out as a cold spell amid Rust’s string of 50-point seasons. This season could be Rust’s chance to finally couple top-end scoring with routine ice time, but those odds are waning as he approaches 10 absences on the year.
Blake Lizotte will likely draw back into the lineup in Rust’s absence when the Penguins visit the Seattle Kraken on Saturday. Lizotte has rotated into the team’s fourth line throughout January, but he hasn’t recorded a point since the holiday break. His last point came via a goal in Pittsburgh’s December 23rd win over Philadelphia, giving Lizotte a 13-game scoreless streak headed into the weekend. The Penguins will have to spread time around with a top-line option unavailable, which could be the setup Lizotte needs to get this monkey off his back.
Latest On Pittsburgh Penguins
Jan. 23rd: Adding more weight and credibility to LeBrun’s reporting yesterday, Penguins’ general manager Kyle Dubas put even more cold water on the recent speculation. In an interview with team broadcaster Josh Getzoff and later expanded upon by Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Dubas was quoted saying, “To say that it’s a fire sale and we’re willing to retain money on very long-term deals — you know, I understand how that stuff starts to get out and take on a life of its own, but it’s not accurate. We’ve had lots of conversations. But are we telling teams that everything must go? No, we’re not.”
Jan. 22nd: Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic provided some context to the Pittsburgh Penguins’ plans leading up to the NHL Trade Deadline. Reports earlier in the week stated that the Penguins were headed for a fire sale before the deadline, but LeBrun writes that the Penguins intend to acquire young NHL players, prospects and draft picks but aren’t likely to orchestrate a massive fire sale. As LeBrun points out, Pittsburgh simply doesn’t have many pending unrestricted free agents, and trading players with term in season is quite difficult.
LeBrun notes that pending UFA Marcus Pettersson will be talked about and likely traded based on previous reports from Josh Yohe of The Athletic. But beyond that, most of the Penguins’ best trade chips have term remaining. These trades can prove difficult if you are looking to add futures because teams don’t typically have enough cap space to add the player, and as LeBrun points out in the article, it may force Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas to wait until the offseason when he will have more suitors and there will be more flexibility.
Chris Johnston of TSN clarified the Penguins’ situation further on Insider Trading, saying that they aren’t looking to retain salary on any long-term deals, which would further complicate trading a player with a term. However, he did add that there were very few untouchables in Pittsburgh outside of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, which certainly means that the Penguins are open for business and willing to move almost anyone on their active roster.
While LeBrun and Johnston poured cold water on the reports of a fire sale, LeBrun acknowledges that Dubas and Penguins management will be doing their best to get a lot done before the deadline, but reality might make those plans fall by the wayside.
Pittsburgh is certainly stuck in an unusual place as they continue to roster Crosby, who has not lost a step despite playing in his age-37 season. The Penguins likely can’t bottom out in the standings but do appear committed to re-tooling on the fly in an effort to be competitive once again before Crosby retires. While the plan makes sense, it has not been successful for many teams. Although, one could point to the Washington Capitals as an example of a team that re-tooled on the fly around a veteran core.
Dubas is certainly giving it his best shot, having taken the Penguins prospect pool from 27th in the NHL to 20th in just one year based on Scott Wheeler’s rankings in The Athletic.
Pittsburgh Penguins Reportedly Considering Fire Sale At Deadline
From the end of October until the end of December, the Pittsburgh Penguins were inching closer to the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference due to a 14-9-4 record in 27 games. Unfortunately, that solid run has been sandwiched between a 3-7-1 record at the beginning of the season and a 3-5-3 record over their last 11 games.
The Penguins have already made a prudent move by sending struggling netminder Tristan Jarry through waivers a few days ago but that may only be the start of larger things to come. According to a report from Marco D’Amico from RG.org, and corroborated by other outlets, Pittsburgh is reportedly leaning toward a full-scale fire sale at this year’s trade deadline.
It’s easier to list the names of those reported not on the trade block rather than those that are. D’Amico asserts that a source close to the Penguins believes Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Bryan Rust, Philip Tomasino, and Owen Pickering are the only players Pittsburgh has no interest in moving.
Using deductive reasoning, not only are the Penguins considering moving on from pending unrestricted free agents such as Marcus Pettersson, Matt Grzelcyk, and Anthony Beauvillier, but will additionally dangle those with length left on their deals such as Rickard Rakell, Erik Karlsson, Kris Letang, and Ryan Graves.
Considering his mild eight-team no-trade clause, Pittsburgh will likely have the easiest time moving Rakell if they go that route. Aside from a tepid season last year, he’s been a productive forward for the Penguins, since being acquired from the Anaheim Ducks in 2021-22.
It will be more challenging to determine the market for Karlsson and Letang. However, it is not unusual for a player with multiple years remaining on their contract and a full no-movement clause to be traded at the deadline. A recent example is the Vegas Golden Knights’ acquisition of Tomáš Hertl last year.
Still, considering Karlsson is making a hefty $10MM salary until 2026-27, and the fact that Letang isn’t playing up to his $6.1MM salary, it’s more than likely these trades will have better traction in the offseason. Pittsburgh will have to retain salary in any deal for either defenseman but D’Amico didn’t indicate the Penguins had any desire to do so at the time being.
Navigating the current situation is quite challenging for Pittsburgh. The team needs to balance the goal of remaining competitive during the final years of Crosby’s career while also considering their future. Currently, they find themselves in a difficult position, sitting 13th in the Eastern Conference, while only projected to have the 10th overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.
There’s room for change on either front given there are 33 games left in the regular season but the Penguins will have to choose a direction relatively soon considering the magnitude of any hypothetical trade. At any rate, it’ll be unfamiliar territory for general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas.
Letang Scratched Due To Illess
- The Penguins announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Kris Letang was scratched from tonight’s game due to illness. The 37-year-old had a quiet first half of the season by his standards, collecting seven goals and 10 assists in 40 games while still logging over 23 minutes a night of playing time. That comes on the heels of putting up 51 points just last season.
Penguins’ Tristan Jarry Clears Waivers
Jan. 16: As expected, the Penguins announced Blomqvist has been recalled from WBS while Jarry has been assigned there after clearing waivers.
Jan. 15: The Penguins will place goaltender Tristan Jarry on waivers later Wednesday, the team announced. It’s unclear if he’ll be assigned to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton if he clears or if he’ll remain on the roster, but Pittsburgh will give other teams a chance to take him off their hands for free before they decide how to move forward with the struggling netminder.
Jarry, who allowed three goals on 17 shots in last night’s loss to Seattle, is now down to an abysmal .886 SV% on the season with a 3.31 GAA and an 8-8-4 record in 21 starts and one relief appearance. He posted a .926 SV% in five AHL appearances earlier this year on a conditioning stint that didn’t require waivers, although that hasn’t changed his confidence or level of play at the NHL level.
Now 29, Jarry finished seventh in Vezina Trophy voting in the 2019-20 and 2021-22 campaigns. Those highs led the Pens to sign him to a five-year, $26.88MM deal minutes before he was set to reach unrestricted free agency in 2023.
Just a year and a half in, they’re already trying to find ways to get out of the deal. If they can’t trade him or convince another club to snag his $5.375MM cap hit off waivers, he could be headed for a buyout this summer.
Notwithstanding this year’s struggles, Jarry’s career numbers are still quite good. The 2013 second-round pick has suited up 278 times for the Pens since debuting in the 2016-17 season, posting a 144-92-29 record with 19 shutouts, a 2.74 GAA, and a .910 SV%. He’s stopped 14.2 goals above average throughout his nine-year career and tied for the league lead in shutouts with six as recently as the 2023-24 campaign.
Without the risk of his contract hamstringing an acquiring team, Jarry would likely be snapped up on the waiver wire and would have even generated significant interest on the trade market considering his past resume. But more than three seasons remaining at a steep cap hit will likely be too much to swallow for even the most financially flexible teams if he can’t rebound from this year’s regression.
Unfortunately, backup Alex Nedeljkovic hasn’t been any better, with a matching .886 SV% in his 19 showings this season. Their best option has been 23-year-old Joel Blomqvist, who’s been in the minors for the last two months but seems ticketed for a recall after Jarry’s waiver period ends Thursday.
Blomqvist, who the Pens selected 52nd overall in 2020 and earned a spot on the AHL’s All-Rookie Team last season, had a .904 SV% and saved 2.1 goals above expected in eight games early this season while Jarry was on his conditioning loan, per MoneyPuck. He also has a .912 mark and a 6-4-2 record in 12 showings with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this year.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Penguins Place Joona Koppanen On Waivers, Recall Filip Kral
2:29 p.m.: Koppanen cleared waivers as expected, per PuckPedia.
7:41 a.m.: The Pittsburgh Penguins placed depth forward Joona Koppanen on waivers on Monday, per PuckPedia. To fill his roster spot, the Penguins have also recalled defenseman Filip Kral to the NHL roster per the AHL Transaction Log. This move represents Koppanen’s first waiver designation, and Kral’s first call-up, of the 2024-25 season.
Koppanen began the season with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and stayed buried in the minors for the bulk of the year. He recorded seven goals and 22 points in 55 AHL games, one point more than he managed in three more games last season. Those appearances were intercut by 10 games in a fourth-line role with the Pittsburgh lineup. Koppanen performed quietly in his NHL minutes – though he did manage to score his first NHL goal in his first NHL game of the season, on March 18th. That would go down as his only scoring for the six-foot-five, Finnish forward. Teams will have until noon today to place a claim on Koppanen, though it seems much more likely that he’ll clear waivers and return to the minor leagues.
This move could also award Kral with just the third NHL game of his career. The Czech defenseman has scored seven goals and 29 points in 59 AHL games this season, good for second on the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton blue-line. He’s in his first year in the Penguins organization, after departing the Toronto Maple Leafs organization in favor of Finland’s Liiga last season. It proved a fruitful move – and Kral posted 37 points in 46 Liiga games after starting the year with six points in 24 AHL games. He has seemed to carry that responsible, heads-up scoring back to North America. Pittsburgh will test that out with this call-up, giving Kral a chance to record his first NHL point after appearing in two games and recording one penalty with the Maple Leafs in 2022-23. Kral was originally a fifth-round pick to Toronto in 2018.
Penguins Expected To Be Sellers At Trade Deadline
Josh Yohe of The Athletic believes that the Pittsburgh Penguins will be sellers regardless of their position in the standings. Yohe wrote about the unusual position the Penguins find themselves in heading into the second half of the NHL season. Pittsburgh has fought its way back into the Wild Card conversation in the Eastern Conference, and despite being largely made up of veteran players, general manager Kyle Dubas has his eye on the future and intends to sell.
Yohe says that his league sources predict the Penguins will make multiple moves to jettison veterans and that “no one is safe” on Pittsburgh, except for the players holding full no-trade protection (Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin to name a few). Marcus Pettersson is certainly a name Pittsburgh will move on from given his contractual status, but one name that could also go is forward Rickard Rakell. The 31-year-old is having a nice bounce-back season with 22 goals in 45 games. However, Yohe pours cold water on that notion, saying that Pittsburgh is likely to hold onto him for this year unless they receive a big offer.
While all signs point to Pittsburgh packing it in for the season and missing the playoffs for a third straight year, Yohe believes that the Penguins may see the trading of veteran players as an opportunity to call up some of their prospects who are NHL-ready, most notably goaltender Joel Blomqvist who is arguably the best netminder in the Penguins entire organization and their best chance at steady goaltending. Tristan Jarry has struggled for well over a calendar year and doesn’t look like an NHL goaltender at the moment, and Alex Nedeljkovic has been wildly inconsistent this season after putting together a nice campaign a year ago.
While the Penguins would love to move on from some of their pricier veterans, they will be in tough to do so as Jarry has three years left on his contract after this season with an AAV of $5.375MM, and defenseman Ryan Graves has four years on his deal at $4.5MM. Those deals were two of the first contracts Dubas handed out in Pittsburgh, and they’ve aged like milk. In previous years, those types of contracts would have been untradeable, but with the cap rising next season, it’s not out of the question that the Penguins could move on from those players in the next six months.
Penguins Activate Evgeni Malkin, Reassign Jesse Puljujarvi
The Pittsburgh Penguins have activated star forward Evgeni Malkin off of injured reserve. Malkin missed the Penguins’ last four games with an upper-body injury. He was named a game-time decision for the team’s Tuesday bout against Seattle, and his activation seems to be a good indication that he’ll play. Malkin was placed on injured reserve on Sunday, retroactive to his last appearance in the lineup on January 5th. To make room for the move, the squad has also assigned winger Jesse Puljujärvi to the minor leagues. Puljujarvi successfully cleared waivers on December 30th, and will now carry waiver exemption status through the month of January.
The Penguins will relish in Malkin’s return to the lineup. They’ve gone 1-3-0 in the four games he’s missed, getting confidently outscored 17-to-10. Malkin was on a hot streak leading up to his injury, with seven points in his last nine games. Despite that, the future Hall-of-Famer has been tame on the year as a whole, so far sat with eight goals and 32 points in 41 games this season. That puts him on pace for 64 points in 82 games, which would mark a career-low in seasons where Malkin played more than 50 games. He even surpassed that mark last season, when he scored 27 goals and 67 points while continuing his iron-man streak through its second consecutive season. Malkin’s role has been unwavering despite the slight dip in scoring. He’s averaged 18:35 in ice time this year, the exact same average that he posted in each of the last two seasons. Malkin sits just 14 games shy of his 1,200th NHL game. When he hits it, Malkin will join partner-in-crime Sidney Crosby as the only two to reach that mark with Pittsburgh. If he stays healthy, he’ll hit the milestone in Philadelphia on February 8th.
Meanwhile, Puljujarvi will head back to the minors after playing in his first five games since early December in Malkin’s absence. The former top draft pick only managed one point – an assist – in the matchups, while averaging nearly 12 minutes of ice time each game. He now has just nine points in 25 games this season – surpassing the four points he managed in 22 games last year but still far from the mark Pittsburgh would hope for. This assignment will likely set Puljujarvi up to play in his first AHL games of the season. He appeared in 13 games and scored nine points with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins last year. They were Puljujarvi’s first minor league appearances since the 2018-19 season, when he was assigned to the minors for four games and scored at point-per-game pace. While this move is fairly inconsequential, given Puljujarvi’s waiving in December, it could be the start of an extended minor-league assignment – bringing a tough end to Puljujarvi’s chase for a role with the Penguins.