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Pittsburgh Penguins Re-Assign Drew O’Connor

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The Pittsburgh Penguins announced that they’ve re-assigned forward Drew O’Connor to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL. No corresponding move was announced. The move leaves Pittsburgh with 22 out of 23 roster spots filled, but does provide some breathing room away from their LTIR salary cap.

The Athletic’s Rob Rossi suggests the move could signal that Jeff Carter, who has missed the last three games with injury, but has not been on IR, will be returning imminently. As Rossi adds, Carter did participate in full team practice on Sunday. The Penguins next play on Wednesday in Washington against the Capitals, giving Carter another two full days to recuperate.

For O’Connor’s part, he’s been made familiar with the shuffle between Pittsburgh and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton since making his professional debut with the Penguins organization back in 2020-21. When he’s in the NHL lineup, O’Connor has played the role of depth forward nicely, albeit not contributing too much offensively. In the AHL, however, that offense is on full display, the 24-year-old nearly a point-per-game player for his career. So far this season, O’Connor has zero points in three NHL games, but six points–two goals and four assists–in eight AHL games.

Latest On Kris Letang

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  • The Pittsburgh Penguins have gotten off to a slow start so far this season, and among many reasons for the team’s lackluster performance has been the uneven start from star defenseman Kris Letang. Letang hasn’t been his best so far this season, and today we received some explanation as to why. Per Letang, he has been battling an illness and has been playing through it for the past stretch of games. The Penguins are eager to get their season back on track quickly given how competitive the Metropolitan Division looks, so getting Letang back to full health would be a major step toward getting there.

Blueger Could Return Saturday, Carter Out Thursday

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There should be some good news on the horizon for the Penguins on the injury front.  As relayed by the team’s Twitter account, GM Ron Hextall indicated that the hope is that center Teddy Blueger will be ready to be activated from LTIR on Saturday, the first day he’s able to come off.  What initially started as a day-to-day injury back in training camp has now cost the 28-year-old the better part of a month of action as he has yet to play this season.  His pending return will be a welcome one as Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette adds (Twitter link) that middleman Jeff Carter is missing his second straight game tonight due to a lower-body injury; if that issue lingers, Blueger would likely slide right into his spot in the lineup.

Snapshots: Zegras, Carter, Benning

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The NHL Department of Player Safety today fined Anaheim Ducks forward Trevor Zegras $1,500 for slashing San Jose Sharks defenseman Matt Benning during last night’s game. Zegras was assessed a minor penalty for slashing on the play.

It’s the second fine issued today after New York Islanders forward Casey Cizikas escaped with a fine instead of a suspension stemming from his collision with Blackhawks goaltender Alex Stalock. Thankfully, Benning was not injured on this play. The Ducks will be ecstatic that no further discipline was awarded to Zegras, who’s second on the struggling team with eight points in 10 games.

Evening Notes: Hedman, Letang, Formenton

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The Tampa Bay Lightning are down a big man – literally and figuratively – as they take on Ottawa tonight. Defenseman Victor Hedman has an upper-body injury and is day-to-day, according to Lightning play-by-play commentator Dave Randorf. Hedman sustained the injury in a win Saturday against San Jose, leaving in the third period.

Hedman is vying for a seventh straight Norris Trophy nomination this season, and one of the best defensemen of his generation is off to a strong start again. His eight points in nine games are tied for third on the team with Brayden Point, and his 24:48 ice time average per game clears second place (Mikhail Sergachev) by an even two minutes. The Lightning have a tough schedule over the next few games, including games against Carolina and Edmonton, so a quick return from Hedman would be highly desirable.

  • Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang is out for tonight’s game against Boston with an illness, as he didn’t skate in warmups. Chad Ruhwedel will draw in on the bottom pairing, while Jeff Petry will slide up alongside Brian Dumoulin in Letang’s absence. The 35-year-old, who signed a six-year extension with the team last offseason, is off to a slow start with four points in nine games and a -5 rating.
  • TSN’s Darren Dreger reported on today’s edition of Insider Trading that there are no real updates between the Ottawa Senators and forward Alex Formenton, who remains the only unsigned RFA in the league. The two parties now have just one month before the December 1 signing deadline, where Formenton cannot play in the NHL season if he doesn’t have a contract. Dreger notes a potential trade as an option for Formenton, and also floats the option of playing in Europe if a deal can’t be reached.

Jeff Carter Out Day-To-Day With Undisclosed Injury

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  • Pittsburgh Penguins center Jeff Carter is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury suffered Saturday against Seattle, according to head coach Mike Sullivan. Carter did not practice today and it’s doubtful he’ll suit up for the team tomorrow at home against Boston. Drew O’Connor, who the Penguins recalled from the AHL today, served as Carter’s fill-in at the third-line center position today during practice between Danton Heinen and Kasperi Kapanen. Carter was in the midst of a strong start to the season, recording two goals and four assists for six points in nine games.

Pittsburgh Penguins Recall Drew O’Connor; Assign Drake Caggiula

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have made a roster swap, recalling Drew O’Connor from the AHL and sending Drake Caggiula down. The latter cleared waivers earlier this month and can be assigned without risk.

O’Connor, 24, is off to a nice start with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, scoring six points in his first eight games. That is actually worse than his career pace in the AHL, as the big winger has scored nearly a point per game since signing with the Penguins in 2020. Undrafted, O’Connor became a star at Dartmouth College and has been a nice depth piece for the organization over the last couple of seasons.

In 2021-22, he played 22 games for Pittsburgh scoring three goals and five points. In the midst of a four-game losing streak, the club needed to change something up, and adding the hard-working O’Connor could give the lineup a little jolt.

Caggiula, meanwhile, has been rather invisible for the Penguins since joining the organization this summer. In four games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, he registered one assist, and his three matches with Pittsburgh have come and gone without any scoresheet interaction. Caggiula has no points, no penalty minutes, and just two shots on goal in his limited minutes.

The Penguins return home from a disappointing road trip to face the Boston Bruins tomorrow night.

Jake Guentzel, Jason Zucker Out Of The Lineup Against Calgary

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  • Jake Guentzel will remain out with an ear injury for the third straight game tonight, according to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Guentzel had five points in four games before going down with the injury against the Los Angeles Kings on October 20. His status remains day-to-day, and Danton Heinen will continue to sub in for Guentzel on the team’s top line.
  • The Penguins also noted that forward Jason Zucker will miss tonight’s game against the Calgary Flames and that his status is day-to-day. In his place, 2019 first-round pick Samuel Poulin will make his NHL debut. Zucker was also in the midst of a strong start, notching six points through six games.

Pittsburgh Penguins Place Teddy Blueger On LTIR

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After battling an undisclosed injury for several weeks, but being unable to return to the lineup, the Pittsburgh Penguins have placed forward Teddy Blueger on LTIR retroactive to October 11th, the team announced. The veteran is eligible to come off of LTIR on November 5th. In a corresponding move, the team has recalled forwards, Samuel Poulin and Drake Caggiula from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Matt Vensel was first to report the transaction.

The injury bothering Blueger has been an issue for nearly a month now, despite being listed as day-to-day initially, however the team had yet to put him on IR until now. That was no problem, as the team had had 12 healthy forwards to spare, but with Jake Guentzel recently going down with an injury, the team was under-manned, not having the full complement of healthy scratches available due to cap-concerns. Placing Blueger and his $2.2MM cap hit on LTIR should give the Penguins some breathing room cap-wise, at least for the time being.

Blueger, a second-round pick of the Penguins in 2012, has yet to play this season, but has made a career as a quality two-way depth forward in the Penguins lineup. Last season, the Latvia native contributed nine goals and 19 assists in 65 games with Pittsburgh. By recalling Caggiula, Pittsburgh is able to get a similar player in the lineup, one who can provide depth scoring and play an all-around solid game. Caggiula has yet to play in the NHL this season, but his return would mark an impressive comeback after dealing with a herniated disc last season, one he said had impacted not only his on-ice presence, but his overall quality of life too.

One of the top prospects in the Penguins’ system, Poulin has yet to make his NHL debut, but could see that come soon. The 21-year-old was the 21st overall pick in the 2019 draft by Pittsburgh having been a standout player in the QMJHL. Poulin made his pro debut last year with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, recording 37 points in 72 games.

Metro Notes: Guentzel, Blueger, Leonsis

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have started the season off extremely well, collecting three wins and four games. A major contributor to that early-season success has been winger Jake Guentzel, who is tied for second on the team with three goals and five points. The Penguins are getting ready to begin a five-game road trip, and they may be without Guentzel for some of that period.

Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan told the media today, as relayed by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Jason Mackey, that Guentzel missed practice and is being evaluated for an upper-body injury. Guentzel was hit by a Kris Letang shot late in last night’s win over the Los Angeles Kings and also suffered a collision with Kings forward Brendan Lemieux. In Guentzel’s absence, Danton Heinen was elevated to the Penguins’ top line, while Brock McGinn took Heinen’s slot on the team’s third line.

Some other Metropolitan Division notes:

  • If Guentzel does indeed miss time with an upper-body injury, the Penguins could be forced to use seven defensemen until he returns. Injured forward Teddy Blueger is still wearing a non-contact jersey in practice, and as Taylor Haase of DK Pittsburgh Sports notes, the Penguins don’t have the cap space to recall a forward. Coach Sullivan is no stranger to guiding the Penguins through injury troubles, though, and he’ll definitely have his hands full as he looks to sustain the Penguins’ hot start.
  • Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis is leading a group that is reportedly the front-runner to purchase Major League Baseball’s Washington Nationals, per reporting from The Athletic’s David Aldridge, Brittany Ghiroli, and Ken Rosenthal. Leonsis has been the owner of the Capitals since 1999 and would become just the second owner of teams in three of the four major U.S. professional men’s sports leagues. For more information on Leonsis’ potential purchase, we refer you to the more extensive coverage over at MLB Trade Rumors.

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