- Before tonight’s important game against the Chicago Blackhawks, a trade deadline acquisition of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Dmitry Kulikov, is expected to be in the lineup. After 14 games on the long-term injured reserve, Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports reports that after dealing with a suspected foot injury, Kulikov will be returning to the Penguins. Kulikov has only managed four games in Pittsburgh since being acquired from the Anaheim Ducks, and now currently on the outside looking in for the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Penguins could certainly use all the help they can get to win their final two games.
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Penguins Rumors
Pittsburgh Penguins Reassign Alex Nylander
The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced that forward Alex Nylander has been returned to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins. With Wilkes-Barre Scranton set to play the Laval Rocket today, this reassignment gives the AHL Penguins one of their top scorers back.
Nylander, 25, has this season made himself into an extremely effective AHL scorer. After spending some of the earlier years of his career as an up-and-down player without truly dominant AHL numbers, Nylander’s AHL value has grown as his NHL promise has faded. This year, he has scored 25 goals and 50 points in the AHL, and earned seven NHL games in Pittsburgh.
Nylander has scored two points in that seven-game span, including an important goal yesterday against the Detroit Red Wings, a game the Penguins badly needed to win. Nylander played the bulk of his NHL games this season in a six-game span in March, beginning with a March 7th overtime victory over Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Penguins have gone 4-3 with Nylander on their roster, and he’s helped them at an important time in their season. With AHL Pittsburgh out of the AHL playoffs with three games remaining, this reassignment gives Nylander the chance to put the finishing touches on his successful individual AHL campaign before likely returning to support the Penguins as a reserve player should they reach the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Pittsburgh Penguins Recall Alexander Nylander
Apr. 7: Nylander is once again back up with Pittsburgh after being recalled on an emergency basis.
Apr. 6: A few hours after being recalled, it seems Nylander is headed back down to Wilkes-Barre Scranton. The Penguins announced in advance of their game tonight against the Minnesota Wild that Nylander has been reassigned back to their AHL affiliate.
Apr. 3: According to a team release, the Pittsburgh Penguins sent forward Alexander Nylander down to the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Monday.
Nylander, 25, heads back to the minors after sitting as a healthy scratch for eight straight games. He’s one of Pittsburgh’s best recall options out of their relatively thin depth in the AHL but was a week away from requiring waivers to head back to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Pittsburgh remains locked into a tight battle for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference as they look to keep their 16-year postseason streak alive, by far the longest in the league. With salary cap constraints, though, they’re forced to carry a trim roster, having less than $100,000 in space before returning Nylander to the minors.
The eighth-overall pick in 2016 is having by far his best season in the AHL, leading the team in goals and points per game. His 25 goals and 25 assists in 54 games have given him his first 50-point season, marking another step in a long road back to potential NHL relevancy after an injury-plagued development period.
He could remain a lineup option for the Penguins in the playoffs if they make it there. He has one assist in six games this season with Pittsburgh, his first NHL point since the 2019-20 season.
Killorn, Fox, Friedman Earn Fines
The NHL Department of Player Safety announced a pair of fines on Thursday afternoon, stemming from last night’s incidents in the Tampa Bay Lightning-New York Rangers game. Alex Killorn owes $5,000 for his slash on Igor Shesterkin, while Adam Fox will pay $5,000 for slashing Corey Perry.
While they might be called slashes by the league, both were actually spears. Killorn came flying in to poke at a puck in the crease while Shesterkin was sitting in the net, causing a massive brawl as the Rangers attempted to protect their netminder. Fox speared Perry in the gut, sending him sprawling to the ice.
Neither one was likely to draw a suspension, but will certainly put some more gasoline on a pretty intense rivalry. While a playoff matchup between the two clubs may be difficult this year, plays like this won’t be forgotten.
The league also issued a $2,000 fine to Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Mark Friedman for embellishment. That means it was his second citation of the year for diving, as the fines escalate and start with a warning. The first incident came during a December 28 game against Detroit, while the latest was in Sunday’s match against the Flyers.
Pittsburgh Penguins Sign Joel Blomqvist
Although brought back to the organization very recently after signing an amateur tryout agreement with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, the Pittsburgh Penguins have officially signed top-prospect Joel Blomqvist to a three-year entry-level contract. The contract will begin next year, and it will run until the 2025-26 season.
Blomqvist spent the majority of this season with Karpat of the Finnish Liiga, going 6-5-8 in 21 games, carrying a .907 SV% and a 2.29 GAA. Blomqvist was unable to play the full season due to concussion issues he experienced throughout the year.
The young goaltender was originally drafted 52nd overall by the Penguins in the 2020 NHL Draft. In his draft year, he played for Karpat’s U20 team, playing in 34 games, posting a 26-6-0 record and a .931 SV% with a 1.66 GAA.
In the international scene for Finland, Blomqvist participated in the 2021 World Junior Championship, playing on a Finland team that took home the bronze medal after beating the Russian Federation.
This season, the baby Penguins will not make the playoffs in the AHL, but Blomqvist will likely get some more starts as their season wraps up. If Blomqvist continues his progression, it would be safe to assume that he will join the team in Pittsburgh within the next three seasons under this contract.
Penguins Notes: Blomqvist, Krannila, Ortiz, DiLiberatore
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have announced that they’ve signed goaltender Joel Blomqvist to an amateur tryout agreement. For Blomqvist, this is his second stint playing for the baby Penguins under an ATO as he played one game last season with the club.
The Pittsburgh Penguins selected the Finnish netminder in the second round of the 2020 NHL entry draft and he is one of their top prospects. The 21-year-old has yet to sign an NHL contract with the Penguins, but they do retain his rights for another two years.
Blomqvist was hoping to take the next step this season back in Finland with Karpat of the Liiga, but two concussions limited his playing time to just 21 games. Despite the setback he did post a .907 save percentage and 2.29 goals against average.
In other Penguins news:
- Wilkes-Barre/Scranton also signed undrafted Finnish forward Jami Krannila to an ATO. The St. Cloud State product had 21 goals and 19 assists this season in 41 NCAA games and has 107 points in his college career in 143 games. The undersized winger will be a long shot to make it to the NHL as he stands just 5’10” and is listed at 163 pounds, but with teams putting a premium on speed and skill he could get a look with the Penguins. Their prospect cupboard is bare, meaning Krannila should get plenty of ice time in the AHL.
- With these two signings Wilkes-Barre/Scranton made a series of corresponding moves by sending defensemen Peter DiLiberatore and Chris Ortiz to Wheeling of the ECHL. DiLiberatore was acquired by the Penguins organization in the Teddy Blueger trade with the Vegas Golden Knights. The Quinnipiac University product dressed in eight games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and scored two goals. Ortiz on the other hand has dressed in 39 contests with the Wheeling Nailers and has four goals and 24 assists for 28 points. He has also played 15 AHL games, producing just three assists.
Latest On Penguins Injuries
The Pittsburgh Penguins are currently locked in a battle against the Florida Panthers for the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot, and they sit just one point behind Florida with a game in hand at the time of writing. They’ve kept themselves in the race despite facing some major injury losses, although it now seems that reinforcements could be on the horizon.
Today, Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan told the media, including the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Seth Rorabaugh, that four significant injured Penguins all skated today and could return before the conclusion of the regular season. Those four Penguins are Dmitry Kulikov, Marcus Pettersson, Jan Rutta, and Nick Bonino. The additions of Kulikov, Pettersson, and Rutta back into the lineup in particular could help Pittsburgh as goaltender Tristan Jarry struggled in the month of March, and adding three significant contributors back to the defense in front of him could help Jarry return to form in time for some crucial late-season games or even the first round of the playoffs, should they make it.
Pettersson, Rutta Resume Skating
- A pair of injured Penguins defensemen have returned to the ice. Justin Guerriero of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review notes that Marcus Pettersson skated on his own before practice today with head coach Mike Sullivan indicating that the 26-year-old is making progress. He’s currently on LTIR and isn’t eligible to return until April 13th. Meanwhile, Jan Rutta returned to practice in a non-contact jersey. He has been out with an undisclosed injury for the last two weeks. Pittsburgh is down three blueliners at the moment (Dmitry Kulikov is also out) and just narrowly holding onto the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Pittsburgh Penguins, Anaheim Ducks Swap Prospects
The Pittsburgh Penguins have completed a trade of prospects with the Anaheim Ducks, per a team announcement. The Penguins are receiving the rights to 2020 fourth-round pick Thimo Nickl and are sending the rights to NCAA winger Judd Caulfield in return.
In Nickl, 21, the Penguins are acquiring a 21-year-old defenseman who was a 2020 fourth-round pick. In his draft year, the Austrian blueliner moved from the second team of Klagenfurter Athletiksport Club in his home country, where he had played parts of three seasons, to Quebec to play junior hockey with the QMJHL’s Drummondville Voltigeurs.
At that point in his career, Nickl had already played 55 games in the AlpsHL, a professional league where he was competing against men. As a result, playing junior hockey in the QMJHL proved to be a less challenging task for Nickl, who ranked second among Voltigeurs blueliners in scoring with 39 points in 58 games.
After being drafted, Nickl joined the SHL’s Rogle BK’s youth system, and managed to play 15 games in Sweden’s top division with the club. Nickl was then loaned to AIK in September of 2021, a club in the second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan, and scored 10 points in 38 games there.
In early 2022 Nickl’s move to AIK was made permanent, and this season he played a regular role for the club, scoring eight points in 47 games to go alongside 69 penalty minutes. AIK failed to make a promotion push but Nickl ultimately further established himself as a professional player.
By acquiring Nickl’s rights, the Penguins now have until June 1st, 2024 to decide whether to give Nickl an entry-level deal before his rights expire, according to CapFriendly. It’s a more extended timeframe compared to the one they had with Caulfield, who can hit the open market on August 15th.
It’s definitely possible that the Penguins had an indication from Caulfield that he would not be signing with them before that date, prompting this trade, or it’s also possible that the team simply wasn’t interested in signing Caulfield and chose to leverage the remaining months of exclusivity they had with him in order to acquire a prospect they were more interested in.
For the Ducks, this trade is similarly a potential indication that they were not interested in signing Nickl to an entry-level deal before next summer, although it could also be a sign that they are simply more interested in adding Caulfield than they were of signing Nickl.
Caulfield, 22, is a 2019 fifth-round pick who has played the last four seasons at the University of North Dakota. The big six-foot-three winger is a product of the U.S. National Team Development Program and has scored 39 points over the last two seasons.
With his rights now acquired, the Ducks will likely get to work on trying to negotiate an entry-level deal with the winger, who would likely begin his professional career developing his game in the minors.
Owen Pickering Joining WBS Penguins
After his season came to its conclusion with the Swift Current Broncos of the Western Hockey League, Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports reports Owen Pickering will be joining the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins for the rest of the 2022-23 season. Pickering signed an entry-level contract with the Penguins last summer, ending after the 2024-25 season.
Last season, for the Broncos, Pickering scored 33 points in 62 games, en route to being selected 21st overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2022 NHL Draft. Following up on last year’s performance, Pickering will finish his junior career on the tails of a nine-goal, 36-assist performance over 61 games this season.
Unfortunately for the Penguins and Pickering, the WBS Penguins only have eight games remaining this year, and will not make the playoffs as they currently sit in last place in the AHL’s Atlantic Division. As he officially joins an organization that is severely lacking in prospect depth, Pickering will have some added pressure moving forward in hopes of becoming the player the Penguins need him to be.