Following the news that defenseman Ryan Graves has a concussion, the Penguins have made a pair of roster moves. Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review relays that defenseman Ryan Shea is now on Pittsburgh’s roster while forward Jonathan Gruden has been returned to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Shea is in his first season with the Penguins after signing with them as a Group Six unrestricted free agent last July. The decision was a wise one as he broke camp with the big club and spent more than two months on the NHL roster before being waived in mid-December.
Since then, the 27-year-old has been recalled now six times as he’s a trusted option to turn to when injuries arise. Shea has played in 22 games with Pittsburgh so far this season, his first taste of NHL action. He’s still looking for his first point but is averaging a respectable 12:28 per game on the third pairing when he is in the lineup. He has been a bit more productive in the minors, collecting two goals and four assists in 22 AHL contests.
As for Gruden, he has been shuffled back and forth quite frequently this season with seven different recalls under his belt. It hasn’t translated to a ton of action, however, as he has played in just 13 NHL contests this season, notching a single goal while averaging 8:40 per game. The 23-year-old has also played in 46 AHL games, posting 13 goals and 11 assists.
While Pittsburgh likely would have preferred to keep Gruden on the roster, his assignment was salary cap-related as they didn’t have enough cap space to have him and Shea up with them.