The Pittsburgh Penguins cleared three rosters spots yesterday, and now they’ve filled at least one of those with a recall from the minor leagues. Taylor Fedun is on his way to the NHL, recalled for the first time in more than a year.
Fedun, 34, hasn’t played an NHL game since the 2019-20 season when he was still with the Dallas Stars. The minor league veteran has been playing with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for the past two seasons, rarely recalled even as injury insurance. This year, through 30 games, he has just two points, but is still a steady enough presence in the defensive end that he could potentially take some minutes with the big club.
There’s not much to get excited about with this recall though, as Fedun’s days as an NHL regular are long past. The team liked him enough to hand over a two-year contract last spring, but adding a 34-year-old minor league journeyman is probably not going to solve the Penguins’ issues. The club has lost seven of ten and sit fifth in the Metropolitan Division, still waiting on a hot streak to get them into contention for the division crown.
On Tuesday, young defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph saw just ten minutes of ice time, nearly 15% of which was on the powerplay. He managed to take two minor penalties in that short period. Perhaps the team is looking for a little more veteran savvy in that spot, but it remains to be seen whether Fedun will actually play.