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Teddy Blueger

Penguins Notes: Trade Wishes, Zucker, Injuries, Crosby

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The Pittsburgh Penguins are faring quite well so far in a competitive East Division with Pittsburgh currently two points back of first place. The Penguins are enjoying a solid season and new President of Hockey Operations Brian Burke and general manager Ron Hextall are expected to bolster their roster as the trade deadline nears.

Interesting enough, NBC Sports Adam Gretz reports that the two new executives are both well known for their appreciation of size on their teams and it wouldn’t be surprising if the Penguins were seeking help in that direction as the trade deadline approaches. While the team doesn’t have the firepower to trade for any big names on the market, the scribe believes that a realistic target may be Detroit’s Anthony Mantha.

The 26-year-old Mantha could be a good find as the winger has struggled in the last couple of seasons with injuries being the main culprit. This year, Mantha has just nine goals and 16 points in 34 games and might prove to be a good trade chip if general manager Steve Yzerman chooses. However, for the Penguins to add Mantha, they would have to unload a significant amount with few assets but a handful of prospects and almost no picks as the Penguins have already traded away their  first, third, fourth and sixth-round picks for 2021.

  • Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan reports that winger Jason Zucker practiced fully Sunday and is close to returning to the Pittsburgh lineup at some point this week, according to Wes Crosby of NHL.com. Zucker skated in a non-contact sweater Saturday, so Sunday was a step up. The 29-year-old has four goals and seven points in 17 games, but will have to be activated from long-term injured reserve before he can play.
  • Crosby also notes that forwards Teddy Blueger and Brandon Tanev were on the ice Sunday with skills and development coach Ty Hennes. Tanev reportedly cleared the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol on Sunday, but didn’t practice with the team as he is still rehabbing from an upper-body injury. He remains day-to-day, but is also close. Blueger was placed on injured reserve on March 18 with an upper-body injury and was listed as week-to-week.
  • The Athletic’s Josh Yohe (subscription required) suggests Sidney Crosby, while a longshot, as a potential candidate for the Hart Trophy. The scribe writes that despite a number of significant candidates for the award like Patrick Kane, Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon and Auston Matthews, Crosby could be an outside candidate. The 33-year-old center has 14 goals and 39 points in 34 games and has been a key leader for an impressive Penguins team that has been without Evgeni Malkin for much of the season.

Penguins Place Evgeni Malkin And Teddy Blueger On IR

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There is some good news and bad news on the injury front for the Penguins.  First, the bad, as the team announced that centers Evgeni Malkin and Teddy Blueger have been placed on injured reserve.  Malkin’s move was made retroactive to March 16th while Blueger’s placement is effective one day earlier.

Malkin was injured in Tuesday’s game against Boston in the first period as he played just four shifts.  He had been on the best offensive stretch of his season before that, notching four goals and eight assists on an eight-game point streak.  It helped turn around what had been a fairly quiet season by his standards as he now has eight goals and 16 assists in 29 games to sit third on the team.

As for Blueger, he’s in the midst of a career year offensively with 15 points in his first 29 games this season.  He has also shown improvement at the faceoff dot, winning just over half of his draws which has helped him become a fixture behind Malkin and Sidney Crosby down the middle.

The good news for Pittsburgh is that defenseman John Marino was activated off IR in advance of tonight’s game against New Jersey after missing four games with an upper-body issue.  While his offensive numbers have dropped sharply this year with just five points in 26 games after having 26 points in 56 games in his rookie year, Marino has logged heavy minutes on their back end, averaging just shy of 23 per game which makes him a welcome return to their lineup.

The team also announced a series of several roster moves.  Wingers Anthony Angello, Frederick Gaudreau, and Colton Sceviour were all recalled from the taxi squad.  Sceviour is the most notable of the group having played in 21 games this season although he cleared waivers last Tuesday.  Meanwhile, winger Josh Currie and blueliner Josh Maniscalco were recalled to the taxi squad from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in order to keep the taxi squad compliant with at least four players on it.

Teddy Blueger Re-Signs With Pittsburgh Penguins

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have re-signed young forward Teddy Blueger to a two-year contract. The deal is one-way and will carry an average annual value of $750K. Assistant GM Bill Guerin released a statement:

Teddy is a perfect role model for younger players coming into the league. When you watch a guy with his work ethic, determination and ability to trust the process of going through the proper steps to get to the NHL, you have a great example for younger players. Teddy came to us with great expectations, and he’s worked hard to meet each one. He has great hockey sense, he loves to compete and he’s a true professional.

Blueger, 24, finally got his chance at the NHL level in 2018-19 after three seasons in the minor leagues where he was routinely one of the best offensive players on the ice. A second round pick from 2012 he finally made an impact for Pittsburgh, scoring ten points in 28 games during the regular season. With the Penguins’ attack set to look a little different this year after the departure of Phil Kessel, Blueger will still have to fight for playing time thanks to newcomers Alex Galchenyuk and Brandon Tanev. He’ll almost certainly be on the roster, but with so many legitimate NHL forwards the lineup could shake out in several different ways.

That’s nothing new for Blueger, who has had to work hard just to even get to this point. Grinding through four years at college and three more in the minor leagues just to earn a little over 11 minutes a night in the NHL has secured him some career security for the next two years, but there is still more work to do if he wants to become that integral part of a playoff team.

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