Penguins Notes: Prospects, Injuries, Rebuild
Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas had an eventful locker-room cleanout, sharing plenty of news, updates, and plans with the media following the end of the season. Most exciting of the bunch was Dubas’ support of the team’s young prospects, sharing that he expects forwards Brayden Yager, Vasili Ponomarev, and Sam Poulin; defenseman Owen Pickering; and goaltender Joel Blomqvist to each compete for NHL roles next season, shares Rob Rossi of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Penguins fans will hope that their GM is right as he alludes to young talents holding onto lineup roles. Pittsburgh carried the oldest roster in the NHL this season, with an average age of 29.78 per EliteProspects.
They’ll certainly get plenty of talent in the names Dubas mentioned. Both Yager and Pickering spent the season in the WHL. Yager had a career year, scoring 35 goals and 95 points and adding five points in five World Juniors games. Pickering also recorded career-high scoring – though not with as much of a jump as Yager – netting 46 points in 59 games to top his 45-point season last year. Meanwhile, Blomqvist served as the starter for the Wilkes-Barre/Scanton Penguins, recording a dazzling .921 save percentage in 44 games.
Other notes from Pittsburgh’s cleanout:
- Dubas also shared that legacy defenseman Kris Letang will be getting a second opinion on if he needs surgery this summer to address an undisclosed injury, per Seth Rorabaugh of the Tribune-Review. Rorabaugh also mentioned that Matthew Nieto suffered another injury following his surgery in January, and will seek a second opinion on if surgery or rehab is the next step. Emil Bemstrom is also hurt, finishing the season with a concussion. Nothing was made about these injuries being alarming, though Penguins fans will want to keep a close eye on Letang’s recovery. The future Hall-of-Famer appeared in all 82 games this season, but reportedly played through injury down the stretch.
- Dubas hinted at an interesting approach in his press conference, saying that the Penguins wanted to approach their rebuild similar to how the Los Angeles Kings have approached theirs, per The Athletic’s Josh Yohe (Twitter link). The Kings have managed a fairly quick rebuild – if this year’s postseason berth signifies success – while maintaining key veterans like Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty. The Penguins will approach things similarly, looking to build around their long-time core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Letang. The Kings were aggressive in the open market, acquiring Phillip Danault, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Kevin Fiala, and Vladislav Gavrikov. One has to think Michael Bunting and Erik Karlsson represent two of these impactful additions, though Pittsburgh will need to continue addding if they want to claw back into the postseason.
Pittsburgh Penguins Reassign Joel Blomqvist, Samuel Poulin
April 3rd, 8:59 am: The Penguins have re-assigned goaltender Joel Blomqvist to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL after he served as the backup last night against the Devils.
April 2nd: Before the team’s game tonight against the New Jersey Devils, the Pittsburgh Penguins have made a move between the crease, recalling goaltender Joel Blomqvist to the active roster. In a corresponding roster move, the team has returned forward Samuel Poulin to their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Given that Alex Nedeljkovic will retain the starting reins for a consecutive game, the Penguins needed to find a replacement for Tristan Jarry as he remains out with an illness. Blomqvist was previously recalled via an emergency loan in early November of this season while Jarry was out, but was unable to play any minutes.
In his first full season in North America, Blomqvist has been more than solid for the WBS Penguins this year. With 40 games played up to this point in the season, Blomqvist has produced a 22-10-6 record, coupled with a .919 save percentage and a 2.15 goals against average.
Rising up the ranks as the top goalie prospect in the Penguins’ farm system, Blomqvist could feature into Pittsburgh’s lineup more regularly next season. With two goaltenders within the system headed for unrestricted free agency this summer, the Penguins may look to fill in the holes on the roster internally.
On the opposite side of the transaction, Poulin has been sparingly used at the NHL level once again this season. Registering only 36 games for the WBS Penguins this year, Poulin has scored 13 goals and 27 points overall.
Penguins Recall Vinnie Hinostroza, Assign Joel Blomqvist To AHL
The Penguins are set to welcome back Tristan Jarry between the pipes tonight against Buffalo, meaning that they’re now able to return Joel Blomqvist to the AHL. Per a team announcement (Twitter link), they’ve done just that, sending the young netminder down to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Taking his place on the roster will be forward Vinnie Hinostroza.
Blomqvist was recalled on Thursday and served as the backup to Magnus Hellberg on Thursday night in Los Angeles. The 21-year-old is in his first full season in North America and has yet to see any action at the top level. Blomqvist is off to a nice start with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, posting a 1.91 GAA and a .920 SV% in his first seven appearances; his GAA is the fifth-best among qualifying netminders at the minor league level. He’ll go back to being their undisputed starter with Hellberg, who started the season in the minors, still up with Pittsburgh.
As for Hinostroza, this is already his fifth promotion to the NHL this season as he has frequently been shuffled to and from the minors. The 29-year-old has suited up twice for the Penguins so far, picking up a goal and an assist despite averaging just 9:10 per contest. He has been similarly productive in the minors, collecting two goals and two helpers in five contests. Signed to a one-year contract last summer, Hinostroza is likely to continue to be one of the first forwards recalled when Pittsburgh has the roster and cap space to do so.
Penguins Recall Joel Blomqvist, Move John Ludvig To IR
The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled goaltender Joel Blomqvist from the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, per the NHL media site. In a corresponding transaction, defenseman John Ludvig has been moved to injured reserve as he continues recovering from a concussion sustained on October 24.
Blomqvist’s recall means starter Tristan Jarry is likely unavailable for Thursday’s game against the Los Angeles Kings after sustaining an upper-body injury Tuesday against the Anaheim Ducks. Jarry, 28, left the game after being hit in the face by a Ryan Strome shot after his mask was dislodged.
Much like the New York Rangers, the Penguins are now down to their third- and fourth-string netminders. Alex Nedeljkovic remains week-to-week with a lower-body injury sustained last month, meaning 32-year-old Magnus Hellberg is in line for his first start as a Penguin against the Kings. Hellberg has made two appearances in relief since Nedeljkovic exited the lineup, stopping 26 of 28 shots faced.
Blomqvist, the team’s top goalie prospect, will serve as Hellberg’s backup until Jarry, who is listed as day-to-day, is ready to return. Tonight will be the 21-year-old’s first time dressing for an NHL regular-season game.
A 2020 second-round pick, Blomqvist has been one of the top netminders in the AHL this season with a .920 SV%, 1.91 GAA and a 4-2-0 record through seven games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He is in the first season of a three-year, $2.775MM entry-level contract signed with the team last April and carries a cap hit of $886,667.
Ludvig’s roster move is purely to create space on the 23-man roster to recall Blomqvist. He sustained the concussion after skating just 5:29 in his NHL debut on the 24th against the Dallas Stars. The 23-year-old, initially a Florida Panthers draft pick, was claimed on waivers by the Penguins at the beginning of the season.
Snapshots: Rocket, Blomqvist, Guttman
The AHL’s Laval Rocket are bringing a pair of players into the Montreal Canadiens organization. They’ve signed one-year contracts with defenseman Tobie Paquette-Bisson and goalie Strauss Mann, bolstering their depth as Laval looks to improve on a middling 2022-23 campaign.
Paquette-Bisson, 26, spent last season under NHL contract with the Los Angeles Kings and was not issued a qualifying offer, meaning the organization let his rights lapse. Before that, though, he had spent two seasons with Laval on AHL deals, posting 26 points in 83 games. The undrafted left-shot defender will once again gun for playing time in Laval alongside Montreal’s defense prospects.
They’ve also brought in Mann, who also became an unrestricted free agent after the San Jose Sharks opted not to qualify him last week. The University of Michigan grad brings Olympic experience to Laval, and was a rather promising signing for San Jose after a strong first professional season overseas in Sweden. However, he posted just an .894 save percentage in 20 games with the AHL Barracuda and couldn’t quite find his footing. The 24-year-old will look to get back on track in Laval and earn another NHL deal as soon as possible.
More from around the league today:
- The Pittsburgh Penguins plan on bringing goalie prospect Joel Blomqvist to North America next season, says director of player development Tom Kostopoulos. The team’s 2020 second-round pick has played almost exclusively in Finland since being drafted, save for a few spotty appearances stateside after his season ended overseas. He took a step back last season after posting an insane .940 save percentage in 20 Liiga games in 2021-22, still managing a shutout and .907 save percentage in 21 games with Karpat. He’ll command a lot of playing time with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton next season.
- The Chicago Blackhawks expect forward prospect Cole Guttman will be available to start camp after undergoing shoulder surgery near the end of last season, says AHL Rockford head coach Anders Sorensen. Guttman, a free agent signing out of the University of Denver, posted an impressive 30 points in 39 games with Rockford last year and added four goals and six points in 14 NHL games with Chicago. It’s not clear whether he’ll start 2023-24 in the NHL or AHL at this time.