Penguins Acquire Pierre-Oliver Joseph
After leaving the Penguins this summer, Pierre-Olivier Joseph is heading back there. The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve acquired the blueliner from St. Louis in exchange for future considerations.
The 25-year-old spent five seasons in Pittsburgh’s system, split between them and AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Over his time with the Penguins, Joseph primarily played in a depth role and was generally sixth or seventh on their depth chart. Last season, he got into 52 games with Pittsburgh, recording 11 points while averaging a little over 15 minutes a night of ice time. However, they elected not to tender him a qualifying offer of $935K, knowing that doing so would have given him arbitration rights.
That made him an unrestricted free agent and while the Penguins were believed to have interest in keeping him around, Joseph instead elected to sign a one-year, $950K deal with St. Louis on the same day that the Blues acquired his brother Mathieu Joseph from Ottawa. However, the change of scenery hasn’t changed his role as Joseph has remained in that depth role. He has played in 23 games so far this season, picking up two assists while averaging just 13:06 per night, a career low.
With the Blues bringing in Cam Fowler recently, playing time was going to be that much harder to come by for Joseph while they also have Matthew Kessel and Tyler Tucker in the minors, players with some NHL experience. Presumably, they’ll be bringing up a defender – quite possibly one of those two – before long. As for Pittsburgh, Marcus Pettersson landed on injured reserve yesterday while Jack St. Ivany was injured with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton per Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Twitter link), leading GM Kyle Dubas to seek out some low-cost depth in the interim. Joseph will once again be arbitration-eligible this summer but barring a change in role in the second half of the season, he could be trending toward being non-tendered for the second year in a row.
Following the swap, the team announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Nate Clurman was re-assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He was recalled on Tuesday but Joseph will take his place on the active roster.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report that Pittsburgh was acquiring Joseph.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
West Notes: Eberle, Ducks, Joseph
The Kraken will be without their captain for at least the next two games and possibly more as Tim Booth of The Seattle Times relays that Jordan Eberle won’t play this weekend due to a lower-body injury. The 34-year-old was injured in a collision on Thursday against Chicago. Head coach Dan Bylsma noted that while Eberle was feeling a little better on Friday, there still needs to be further testing and evaluation done; that will come early next week to determine how much longer he might be out for. Eberle is off to a decent start to the season, notching six goals and five assists in 17 games so far while playing a little under 16 minutes a night.
More from the Western Conference:
- The Ducks issued several injury updates late Friday. After originally being classified as day-to-day with an upper-body injury, defenseman Cam Fowler will now miss the next two to four weeks because of it. A speculative trade candidate, the 32-year-old has been limited to just 12 games so far this season where he has only two points in a little over 21 minutes a night. Meanwhile, forward Mason McTavish is day-to-day with an upper-body injury while defenseman Urho Vaakanainen’s upper-body issue is being evaluated; he’s also listed as day-to-day for now. McTavish has two goals and six assists in 13 games so far while Vaakanainen has suited up just five times and has one assist and seven blocked shots.
- Blues defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph left the road trip to have his injury better evaluated but the test results were good, relays Matthew DeFranks of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link). Accordingly, the 25-year-old is listed as day-to-day. Joseph is in his first season in St. Louis after signing with them in free agency following his non-tender from Pittsburgh. He has played in 13 games so far this season, recording one assist while averaging a little under 14 minutes a night.
Blues Sign Pierre-Olivier Joseph
July 3: Joseph’s deal with the Blues is now official.
July 2: The St. Louis Blues are expected to sign defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph to a one-year contract, per Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports (Twitter link). The deal was confirmed by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, who shared that it is a one-year deal with a $950K cap hit (Twitter link).
This reported signing comes on the same day that St. Louis traded for Mathieu Joseph, Pierre-Olivier’s brother. The siblings will reunite in St. Louis, after not playing together since the 2012-13 season, well before either of their QMJHL careers.
Pierre-Olivier Joseph fought his way into first-round precedent through his juniors career, getting selected 23rd-overall in the 2017 NHL Draft by the Arizona Coyotes. Arizona traded Joseph’s rights before the end of his juniors career, dealing him to the Pittsburgh Penguins alongside Alex Galchenyuk, in return for Phil Kessel, Dane Birks, and a fourth-round pick.
Joseph turned pro just a few months later, recording 17 points in 52 games with the 2019-20 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The low-scoring rookie year has stood out as an oddity for Joseph, who earned a call-up to the NHL with 13 points in 23 AHL games the following year. He recorded five points through 20 NHL games in 2020 and 2021, though he wouldn’t establish a full time role until the 2022-23 season.
Finally playing through his NHL rookie season, Joseph managed five goals and 21 points in 75 games, becoming a solid member of Pittsburgh’s blue-line. That role slipped a bit this year, though, after a lower-body injury forced Joseph to miss a month of action in November/December. His spot on the team’s bottom pairing didn’t seem as secure upon his return, likely not helped along by Joseph’s 11 points in 52 games.
Joseph, who turned 25 on Monday, will now pursue a more concrete role on a St. Louis blue-line no longer featuring Marco Scandella. That should slot Joseph in behind Torey Krug and Scott Perunovich on the Blues’ depth chart, though he might face heavy competition for minutes from veteran Nick Leddy. Joseph’s ability to earn a strong role despite that competition will like be what the Blues look for, as they plan for him to become a restricted free agent next summer.
Free Agent Notes: Reinhart, Ekman-Larsson, Joseph, Lafferty
Contract discussions between the Panthers and Sam Reinhart appear to be going down to the wire, reports Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic (Twitter link). The 28-year-old is coming off a career year, one that saw him score 57 goals and 37 assists while playing in all 82 games, setting new personal bests in goals and points. He didn’t produce at quite the same rate in the playoffs but still managed 16 points in 24 games to help lead Florida to their first Stanley Cup title. Reinhart is in line for a significant raise on the $6.5MM AAV he had over the last three seasons while getting a max-term agreement. However, the length of that max-term contract is about to change. Unless a contract is agreed to by 11 PM CT, Florida will be capped at offering only seven years. If a deal is reached before that time, they can make it an eight-year agreement.
More free agent news:
- While the Panthers are hoping to keep Reinhart in the fold, it looks like they won’t be re-signing Oliver Ekman-Larsson, at least not yet. Rick Dhaliwal of TSN and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the veteran blueliner will be testing the open market. After being bought out by Vancouver last summer, the 32-year-old signed a one-year, $2.25MM deal with Florida to try to rebuild his value. The move worked as Ekman-Larsson had a solid season, notching 32 points in 80 games while logging over 18 minutes a night. He also recorded six points in 24 playoff contests.
- Although the Penguins non-tendered defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph earlier today, TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie reports (Twitter link) that the two sides are still discussing a new deal. The 24-year-old had more of a limited role in 2023-24, getting into 52 games where he had 11 points while logging a little over 15 minutes a night. Joseph was arbitration-eligible and Pittsburgh didn’t want to give him that option, resulting in him not getting his qualifying offer. It’s a tactic we’re seeing more of lately with teams then sometimes circling back to work out a deal after. We’ll see if this is one of those cases.
- While the Blackhawks asked for the negotiating rights to Sam Lafferty to be added in the Ilya Mikheyev trade earlier this week, Scott Powers and Mark Lazerus of The Athletic report (subscription link) that the veteran will test the market. Lafferty spent parts of two years with Chicago and had discussions on a new deal with them following his rights being acquired but instead will see what’s out there. The 29-year-old had 13 goals and 11 assists in 79 games with Vancouver after being acquired late in training camp from Toronto.
Evening Notes: Tortorella, Askarov, Joseph, Suzdalev
Philadelphia Flyers head coach John Tortorella made history on Friday, become the eighth man to coach in 1,500 NHL games. The milestone was reached via a matchup with the Seattle Kraken that ended in a 2-1 overtime loss for the Flyers. But despite dropping his most recent game, Tortorella has been fantastically successful for much of the rest of this season, currently boasting a 19-11-5 record that has Philadelphia ranked third in the Metropolitan Division. This comes despite Philadelphia being considered one of the league’s rebuilders entering the season, with many expecting the team to start off slow under a new general manager and a second-year head coach.
But Tortorella has pulled the Flyers above their expectations, following an interesting pattern of missing the playoffs in his first full season with a new team but driving towards the post-season in his second year. Tortorella has done the same for every club that he’s coached for, save for the Vancouver Canucks, who he only spent one season with.
Tortorella joins an exclusive list by hitting the 1,500-game mark. Only seven other head coaches have hit the mark – and, interestingly, only three coaches in the Top 10 of games played are officially retired. Four coaches on the list are currently behind NHL benches – with Tortorella joined by Florida’s Paul Maurice, New Jersey’s Lindy Ruff, and New York’s Peter Laviolette. The list also features Barry Trotz, who is taking a break from coaching to serve as the Nashville Predators general manager, and Joel Quenneville and Darryl Sutter, who are both coaching free agents with differing levels of optimism around if they may coach again in the future.
Other notes from around the league:
- The Nashville Predators have sent top goalie prospect Yaroslav Askarov to the minor leagues. Askarov played in two games while with the Predators roster, saving 33 of a possible 35 shots. Askarov has also played in 15 AHL games this season, setting an 8-6-1 record and .908 save percentage.
- Pierre-Olivier Joseph is set to miss the Penguins’ Sunday night matchup against the New York Islanders, continuing to sit out with illness. Joseph’s last game was on December 16th. He’s played in eight NHL games this year, recording one assist and a -3.
- Washington Capitals 2022 second-round draft pick Alexander Suzdalev has had his WHL rights traded from the Regina Pats to the Saskatoon Blades. Regina received three players and three draft picks in return, including a first round pick in the 2026 Draft. Suzdalev scored 86 points in 66 WHL games last season, adding 10 points in seven playoff games. But he’s since returned to Sweden, playing in 13 games and scoring three points with Mora IK of Sweden’s second league. This blockbuster WHL move could be a sign that Suzdalev is poised for a return to Canadian juniors.
Pittsburgh Penguins Recall Ryan Shea
The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced that they’ve recalled defenseman Ryan Shea from their AHL affiliate. Shea was recalled last night before the Penguins 4-2 win over the St. Louis Blues but did not play as John Ludvig and Chad Ruhwedel took shifts on the third pairing.
Shea spent the first 22 games of this season in the NHL with the Penguins and didn’t post any points during that time. He was placed on waivers back on December 18th and reassigned to the AHL after the Penguins’ defense core was fully healthy. Once Shea found himself in the AHL with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, he dressed in four games and registered no points while going +2.
Shea’s recall comes after Pierre-Olivier Joseph missed last night’s game due to an illness. Shea will likely be a healthy scratch today when the Penguins take on the New York Islanders to close out 2023. The Penguins seem keen to keep the third pairing of Ludvig and Ruhwedel as neither player has done anything to play their way out of the lineup.
Shea was signed to a one-year, one-way contract by the Penguins in the offseason to add depth to their blueline and has played far more in the NHL than he or the Penguins likely anticipated heading into the season. Before this season, Shea had never dressed in an NHL game and spent three seasons with the Dallas Stars AHL affiliate. Shea posted a +37 last year in 70 games with the Texas Stars and registered seven goals and 21 assists.
East Notes: Comrie, Kampf, Joseph
Having to place both Tyson Jost and Jacob Bryson on waivers to make space on their roster over the last several weeks, the Buffalo Sabres still find themselves in a difficult situation. They still maintain a full 23-man roster, and will once again need to make room, as veteran center Zemgus Girgensons is nearing activation off of the injured reserve.
One of the clearer choices in who will ultimately sent down is goaltender Eric Comrie, who has not played in a game since earlier this month on December 5th. Seeing only a total of seven games up to this point, Comrie carries a 1-5-0 record on the year, with a .863 SV% and a 4.01 GAA. With young netminders Devon Levi and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen carrying the bulk of the load between the pipes, it makes little sense for the Sabres to continue with three netminders.
In an article from Bill Hoppe of Buffalo Hockey Beat, Comrie acknowledges his placement on waivers as a legitimate possibility and is ready to play wherever Buffalo believes he is best suited. Comrie will be no stranger to the waiver wire, as he has previously been waived five times, and has been claimed four of those times.
Other notes:
- Jonas Siegel of The Athletic reports that David Kampf will be a healthy scratch tonight for the Toronto Maple Leafs. After spending two years being a formidable bottom-six forward for Toronto, the organization rewarded Kampf, signing the forward to a four-year, $9.6MM contract extension over the summer, hoping to gain some long-term stability in the bottom of their forward core. Unfortunately, Kampf has not lived up to expectations this season, only amassing seven points in 33 games, and seeing his ice time drop by more than two minutes on average.
- Relaying on a note from a team spokesperson, Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports reports that Pittsburgh Penguins’ defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph will be out of the lineup tonight with an illness. Since returning to the team from an undisclosed injury on December 12th, Joseph has played in three games for Pittsburgh, averaging just under 13 minutes a night, adding zero points.
Injury Notes: Joseph, Benning, Martin, Jones, Merzlikins
Placing defenseman Dmitri Samorukov on waivers yesterday, after he cleared today, the Pittsburgh Penguins have assigned him to their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, and have subsequently activated Pierre-Olivier Joseph off of the injured reserve. Being placed on the injured reserve with an undisclosed injury dating back to November 18th, Joseph has not played in a game since the team’s route against the San Jose Sharks on November 4th.
Given that he is returning from injury, Joseph will likely slot into the Penguins’ bottom-pairing alongside John Ludvig. Although he is a much better internal option on the blue line compared to Samorukov, Joseph will not be a factor in improving the team’s current offensive struggles on the powerplay.
Last season, in what has been his best to date, Joseph scored five goals and 21 points on the back end, also carrying an impressive oiSV% of 91.5%. With a 3-4-3 record in the last 10 games, the Penguins currently find themselves six points out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and will need all hands on deck to get back into the playoff race.
Other injury notes:
- The San Jose Sharks announced today they have placed defenseman Matt Benning on the injured reserve. Dealing with a lower-body injury, Benning has been out of the lineup since the team’s game against the New York Rangers on December 3rd. Already starting the season with limited depth as an organization, Benning joins a growing list of Sharks on the injured reserve, making him the sixth player overall currently.
- Retroactive to December 2nd, the New York Islanders have placed depth forward Matt Martin on the injured reserve with an upper-body injury. This will now be the third time this season that Martin has been placed on the IR, having missed stretches in both October and November. In only 14 games played this season, Martin has one goal and two points, only maintaining approximately eight and a half minutes of ice time per game.
- Already confirmed to be out of the lineup in tonight’s matchup against the Edmonton Oilers, Chicago Blackhawks’ defenseman, Seth Jones, received X-rays during the team’s game against the Washington Capitals on Sunday. Although there has been no official update on the status of Jones, team doctors indicated that he was only feeling a ‘little sore’ and should be able to make it back to the lineup after the team’s road trip (X Link).
- Although he is still on the team’s injured reserve due to an illness, Brian Hedger for the Columbus Dispatch reports that goaltender for the Columbus Blue Jackets, Elvis Merzlikins returned to practice with the team today. Largely the most competent goalie on the Blue Jackets this season, Merzlikins holds a 6-8-4 record in 19 starts, carrying a .910 SV% and a 3.10 GAA.
Penguins Sign Jesse Puljujarvi To Try Out, Recall Pierre-Olivier Joseph
The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced that they’ve signed forward Jesse Puljujarvi to a free-agent try-out. Puljujarvi was cleared for full-contact training on Saturday, opening up his availability to NHL teams. The 25-year-old winger underwent surgery on both of his hips this summer and worked his way back to NHL readiness in only six months.
Puljujarvi has had a storied career since being drafted fourth overall in the 2016 NHL Draft. He made his NHL debut with the Edmonton Oilers in the 2016-17 season and bounced between the team’s NHL and AHL lineup for the next two seasons. Rather than sticking with the jumps between North America’s top two leagues, Puljujarvi returned to Finland for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, combining for 65 points in 72 games over the two seasons. The strong performances overseas did boost Puljujarvi’s abilities in the NHL, with the winger recording a career-high 36 points in 65 games during the 2021-22 season, but his struggles have continued to pop up. He joined the Carolina Hurricanes via trade last season and only managed two points in 17 games with the new club. Pittsburgh will serve as another testing ground for the former Finnish standout.
Pittsburgh also shared that they’ve recalled Pierre-Olivier Joseph from his conditioning stint in the AHL. The 24-year-old defenseman played in two games while with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, recording one assist. Joseph has appeared in five games with the NHL lineup this season, also managing one assist – with his most recent game marking his 100th in the league.
Joseph emerged as a top option for Pittsburgh as a rookie during the 2022-23 season, appearing in 75 games with the club, scoring 21 points and recording 44 penalty minutes. He averaged just over 15 minutes of ice time each game, a mark that’s decreased to just 13 minutes this year as the Penguins added Erik Karlsson, Ryan Graves, and Ryan Shea to the blueline. It’s a small step backward for Joseph, the second-youngest member of Pittsburgh’s defense corps behind 23-year-old John Ludvig. But with a pair of AHL games and the scare of a send-down under his belt, Joseph will now look to carve out a stronger role in the NHL.
Metro Notes: Joseph, Islanders, Gudbranson, Kakko
Having been on the injured reserve since November 18th, it appears that defenseman for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Pierre-Olivier Joseph, is healthy enough to return, as the team announced they have sent Joseph on a conditioning loan to their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. He will now be in the AHL for a maximum of 14 days, meaning he will have the opportunity to play in five games in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Last season, Joseph looked to have finally cracked the Penguins roster full-time, playing in 75 games and scoring five goals and 21 points. He did spend a couple of games factoring into Pittsburgh’s powerplay, while also providing solid possession and defensive metrics as well.
With fellow defenseman Chad Ruhwedel set to miss a few weeks with a lower-body injury, the Penguins could certainly use the return of Joseph as soon as possible. Even upon return, with Pittsburgh already carrying a more than adequate top-four in their defensive core, the return of Joseph will allow the team to be more comfortable giving their bottom-pairing important minutes of the game.
Other notes:
- Although the two did play in the New York Islanders’ most recent game only three days ago, forward Brock Nelson and defenseman Noah Dobson were absent in yesterday’s practice and were listed as day-to-day with undisclosed concerns. Nevertheless, the team announced today that both players would be in the lineup for tonight’s game, while also indicating that defenseman Sebastian Aho is close to making his return as well. It is positive news for New York, who even though it might only be for a game or two, can not afford to miss two of their better offensive players.
- Team reporter for the Columbus Blue Jackets, Jeff Svoboda, reports that defenseman Erik Gudbranson will be a game-time decision for the team’s game tonight against the Los Angeles Kings, as he is suffering from an illness. Mostly known as a defensive-style defenseman, even with less ice time per night, Gudbranson is producing better offensively this year for the Blue Jackets, scoring two goals and nine points in 26 games.
- Missing the last three games for the New York Rangers with an undisclosed injury, it does not appear forward Kaapo Kakko is close to a return. After practice today, Mollie Walker of the New York Post reported that Kakko has not yet resumed skating. After seemingly having a breakout season last year, Kakko is once again failing to produce up to his draft selection, scoring one goal and three points through 20 games this season.