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Zach Trotman

Snapshots: Three Stars, EBUG, Pittsburgh

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The NHL has released their Three Stars for last week and a great story of redemption comes in at the top. Kevin Fiala, who was made a healthy scratch earlier in the year, had four multi-point games in one week and now sits at a career-high 49 points on the season. The 23-year old forward has always oozed talent, but would disappear for stretches during his time with the Nashville Predators. In eight games with new head coach Dean Evason, Fiala has six goals and 11 points.

Second place goes to a former teammate of Fiala in Ryan Ellis, whose return to the Predators lineup was a strong one after missing time with a concussion. The defenseman recorded seven points last week and now has 36 on the year. If you hadn’t realized just how well Pavel Francouz was playing for the Colorado Avalanche, how about a 3-0 week with a .946 save percentage to let the world know. The goaltender took home the third star after receiving the top honors last week.

  • It is the first day of the GM meetings in Florida, and one of the topics of conversation was the emergency backup goaltender situation. Though there were some who have voiced concerns, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that there will be no changes to the protocol. Fans of Scott Foster and David Ayres will be relieved.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins are in a terrible slump, but might be getting some reinforcements back soon. Brian Dumoulin, John Marino and Nick Bjugstad were all participating in full at practice today, though it is not clear exactly when they will return to action. With that news, the team has returned Zach Trotman to the minor leagues.

Minor Transactions: 02/19/20

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Six games are on the schedule for this evening, including an interesting matchup between the division leading Boston Bruins and Edmonton Oilers. It will be a real test for the Oilers without Connor McDavid or Oscar Klefbom, against one of the true Stanley Cup contenders this season. As they and the rest of the league prepare, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves right here:

  • The Pittsburgh Penguins have placed John Marino on injured reserve after his recent surgery, meaning they had a spot on the roster for another defenseman. Zach Trotman is that defenseman for now, after he was recalled today from the AHL.
  • The San Jose Sharks have recalled Nicolas Meloche from the AHL to fill Brenden Dillon’s spot, after the veteran was traded yesterday. Meloche has yet to play an NHL game in his young career, but was the 40th overall selection in 2015.
  • Christian Folin has been recalled by the Montreal Canadiens, after Victor Mete left last night’s game with an injury. Folin has played in seven games for the Canadiens this season, recording two points.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled Mark Friedman from the minor leagues, giving them another defenseman for tomorrow’s road game in Columbus. Friedman has played five games for the Flyers this season.
  • Glenn Gawdin has been returned to the AHL by the Calgary Flames, who only recalled him two days ago. The 22-year old forward is still waiting to get his first NHL game action.

Justin Schultz Activated, Zach Trotman Assigned

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have activated defenseman Justin Schultz from injured reserve while sending Zach Trotman down to the minor leagues to make room. Schultz hasn’t played since November 19th, but is expected to be in the lineup tonight against the Arizona Coyotes.

Even with all of the injuries the Penguins have dealt with this year, they still sit within striking distance of a divisional playoff spot. With a 15-9-4 record they are three points behind the Philadelphia Flyers for third place in the Metropolitan, and have the third best goal differential in the Eastern Conference.

Schultz, 29, should certainly help them even more. The puck-moving defenseman had eight points in his first 21 games this season and was logging nearly 21 minutes a night, partly due to the temporary absence of Kris Letang. Even with both right-handed defensemen back in action, the team looks nothing like it was supposed to. Sidney Crosby, Brian Dumoulin, Patric Hornqvist and Nick Bjugstad remain out.

Minor Transactions: 11/21/19

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Even though a lot of hockey media will be closely monitoring Sheldon Keefe’s debut as head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, there are a number of other teams suiting up tonight for games just as important. 25 others in fact, as 13 games are scheduled for tonight including Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl back in action against the Los Angeles Kings. As teams prepare for the big night, we’ll track all the minor moves right here.

  • After last night’s game, the Montreal Canadiens sent Charles Hudon back to the AHL. The team seems likely to recall him again for their game on Saturday night, saving a few cap dollars in the process.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled Zach Trotman from the minor leagues after Justin Schultz missed practice yesterday. It’s not clear if Schultz will miss any real time, but the team obviously needed an insurance plan.
  • Matt Martin has been activated from injured reserve by the New York Islanders, who will have him back in the lineup tonight against the Penguins. Martin has been out for nearly a month but is expected back beside Casey Cizikas and Cal Clutterbuck.
  • Kevin Rooney meanwhile has been moved to injured reserve by the New Jersey Devils. The move is retroactive to November 13th, meaning the team can activate him at any time.

Zach Trotman Clears Waivers

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Saturday: Trotman has cleared waivers, Friedman reports.  That paves the way for him to be assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL.

Friday: The Pittsburgh Penguins have placed Zach Trotman on waivers, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. That suggests the defenseman is healthy enough to return to action after starting the year on season-opening injured reserve.

Trotman, 29, was actually re-signed by the Penguins earlier this year to a two-year contract after serving as injury depth the last couple of seasons. A seventh-round pick of the Boston Bruins, he’s carved out a place as a short-term bottom-pairing option. In 83 NHL games, he has 13 points.

His contract length and uncertain health status will likely keep him from being claimed, meaning the Penguins can use him the same way they did last season when he’s ready to return. Expect to see him at some point this year, but he likely won’t be an impact player for Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh Penguins Re-Sign Trotman, Czuczman

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have found some common ground with a pair of pending free agents, signing Zach Trotman and Kevin Czuczman to matching two-year, two-way contracts. Both deals carry a $700K salary at the NHL level.

Trotman, 28, has never quite landed a full-time NHL role, but after being selected in the seventh round and battling for years in college and the minor leagues, even getting to this point was a long shot. The big, physical defenseman played 13 games for the Penguins last season and has suited up 83 times in his entire career, and very well may not add many more to that number next season. Pittsburgh already has seven defensemen on one-way deals with Marcus Pettersson still to sign.

The same could be said about Czuczman, who has played even fewer NHL contests since being signed out of college by the New York Islanders—coincidentally the same one Trotman attended, Lake Superior State University. In fact, Czuczman hasn’t played an NHL contest since 2013-14, and instead is now a leading figure on the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. In 65 games last season he recorded 21 points while serving as an alternate captain.

Neither of these signings will have a huge impact on Pittsburgh’s season, but do give the team some added depth on the blue line if they face injuries. For now, you can expect both to start the season in the minor leagues provided of course that they clear waivers at the end of training camp.

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