Daley Week-To-Week With Upper-Body Injury
Already down Kris Letang for at least two weeks, the Pittsburgh Penguins are going to have to make due without another important blue liner as well. According to Christine Simpson of Sportsnet, Trevor Daley has an upper-body injury and is considered week-to-week.
The 13-year veteran has registered three goals and 11 points in 30 appearances on the season, averaging 20:40 of ice time per game. His acquisition from Chicago last season, along with a few other savvy moves made by the Penguins, keyed a resurgence in Pittsburgh that culminated in the team claiming the Stanley Cup in June. Pittsburgh was 15 – 11 – 3 when they dealt Rob Scuderi to the Blackhawks for Daley. After the trade the Penguins went 33 – 15 – 5 and skated off the ice with Lord Stanley’s trophy.
Pittsburgh recalled Chad Ruhwedel from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL earlier today when the club placed Letang on IR. Ruhwedel gives the Penguins seven healthy blue liners and it likely means the club will not need to make another call-up in Daley’s absence.
This is the 26-year-old Ruhwedel’s first season in the penguins organization after spending the previous four years with Buffalo. The native of San Diego, California has appeared in 33 NHL games, all with Buffalo, netting two points and four penalty minutes.
Kings Call Rob Scuderi Up From Ontario
The Los Angeles Kings have called up veteran defenseman Rob Scuderi from Ontario tweets Joe Rosen. Kings writer Elliott Teaford confirmed the move as well. Teaford writes that Scuderi is a call up after Brayden McNabb suffered an upper body injury in Sunday’s game and was placed on injured reserve. Teaford points out that Scuderi has not played a game for the Kings or Reign this season, and was cut from the Kings’ training camp just a few weeks back.
Last season was a whirlwind for Scuderi, who was dealt from the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Chicago Blackhawks in a deal that involved Trevor Daley. Scuderi was then spun off by the Blackhawks to the Kings for Christian Ehrhoff. In 63 games with the Penguins, Blackhawks, and Kings, Scuderi had 10 assists. Scuderi suited up for all five of the Kings’ playoff games but registered no points.
East Notes: Kessel, Daley, Pulkkinen, Mueller, Ekblad
Penguins right winger Phil Kessel and defenseman Trevor Daley are both on track in their recovery from injuries sustained in the postseason, writes Bill West of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Kessel had hand surgery back in July and isn’t expected to participate in much (if any) preseason action but anticipates he’ll be ready when the puck drops to start the season:
“I’ll obviously be out there skating in camp. I’ll progress as it goes. But I’ll be ready to start the first game of the year. … (The hand) feels a lot better now than it did last year.”
As for Daley, who broke his ankle in the Eastern Conference Finals, he has been training hard on the ankle for the last three or four weeks. He’s set to begin his first full season with Pittsburgh after being acquired from Chicago last December.
More from the Eastern Conference:
- Red Wings right winger Teemu Pulkkinen has been cleared for contact following shoulder surgery back in June, notes MLive’s Ansar Khan. Pulkkinen struggled in his first full NHL campaign last season, spending a lot of time as a healthy scratch. He got into just 36 games, recording six goals and six assists, a disappointment considering he had scored just over a point per game in the AHL. The 24 year old is hoping to be able to get into a couple of games towards the end of the preseason with the hoping of being available for Detroit’s season opener. His recovery appears to be well ahead of schedule as he was originally expected to miss 4-6 months.
- Forward Peter Mueller, who is attending training camp on a PTO, is open to signing an AHL contract, reports WEEI’s DJ Bean. The willingness to play in the minors hasn’t always been there as two years ago Mueller requested his release after training camp with St. Louis, who had planned to send him to their AHL affiliate. Last season, Mueller played with Malmo of the SHL, picking up 13 goals and 12 assists in 43 games. His positional versatility could come in handy for the Bruins as Mueller has spent time at all three forward positions in recent years.
- The Panthers have decided to bring Aaron Ekblad back to Florida, which all but confirms that he will miss the remainder of the World Cup of Hockey, tweets Harvey Fialkov of the Sun Sentinel. Ekblad, who was on Team North America, missed Monday’s game due to an upper body injury. Still with North America’s back end, Columbus defenseman Ryan Murray missed practice today but is expected to play tomorrow vs Sweden, reports ESPN’s Craig Custance.