- Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry will officially be back in action tonight, giving the team a huge boost for a critical matchup. When healthy, Jarry has been excellent this season, matching a career-high .921 save percentage through 27 appearances. His play will likely determine the outcome for the Penguins in the Eastern Conference playoff race, as so many teams are still within striking distance of the wild card positions.
Penguins Rumors
Pittsburgh Penguins Hoping To Add Depth Scoring
The Pittsburgh Penguins are one of the teams battling for a wild card spot, well behind the division leaders. That doesn’t scream Stanley Cup contender, but as they’ve said many times before, as long as Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malking, and Kris Letang are in town, it’s a win-now year. Things are no different this season for general manager Ron Hextall, who spoke with Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic over the weekend, and admitted the Penguins would “like to add for sure” if they can find the right fit.
Improving the team is the goal, and LeBrun writes that it is bottom-six forwards and depth scoring that Pittsburgh is looking for at the moment. That makes sense, given how disappointing players like Kasperi Kapanen, Danton Heinen, and even Jeff Carter have been this season. That trio has combined for just 20 goals, a mark that Crosby, Malkin, Jake Guentzel, and Rickard Rakell have all eclipsed individually.
The Penguins are already without their third and fourth-round picks for this year but own New Jersey’s third and have their first and second to play with. Other than draft selections, though, the cupboard is pretty bare. The team has a handful of decent prospects and young defensemen like Pierre-Olivier Joseph, who could be dangled for rebuilding clubs. But it’s going to be difficult to make the kind of big splash they have been known for over the years.
Perhaps they don’t need to, even if they are on the bubble right now. It’s hard to bet against Crosby, even as he reaches the back end of his career, and some of the other teams competing for those wildcard spots don’t have nearly the same experience in tough playoff-like games.
Still, one question remains outside of the depth forward discussion. What happens in net? Tristan Jarry is expected to play “soon” according to Hextall, but it’s hard even to trust the starting netminder given his previous playoff performances. In 2020-21, Jarry put up an .888 in six games to tank the Penguins’ chances, and last year he only played one game before injury took him out. Casey DeSmith has been okay filling in, but it’s hard to see the Penguins really challenging for a Stanley Cup with him starting the majority of the postseason.
Jarry, remember, is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and likely due a raise on his $3.5MM contract, regardless of how the rest of this season goes. Whether that will be in a Penguins uniform still remains to be seen.
East Notes: O’Reilly, Gaudreau, Dach, Wilson
While it’s a frequent occurrence that a team acquires a player on an expiring contract and then quickly signs him to an extension, that won’t be the case for the Maple Leafs and center Ryan O’Reilly. Speaking with reporters today (video link), GM Kyle Dubas indicated that there have been no discussions about an extension nor are there plans to do so. Instead, the plan is to see how he fits in with his new team and then assess whether there’s mutual interest in trying to extend his stay with Toronto. With more than $72.6MM committed to just a dozen players for next season per CapFriendly, it’s going to be quite difficult for them to keep their new middleman unless they’re able to free up considerable cap space this summer.
More from the Eastern Conference:
- The Blue Jackets announced (Twitter link) that winger Johnny Gaudreau will miss tonight’s game against Dallas due to a lower-body injury. That means his Ironman streak will come to an end at 349 games; only two players (Phil Kessel and Brent Burns) had longer active streaks. Gaudreau hasn’t been able to put up the production he had with Calgary last season but still has 52 points in 55 games, good for an 18-point point lead on Patrik Laine who sits second. Lane Pederson will make his Columbus debut in Gaudreau’s place.
- The Canadiens announced (Twitter link) that center Kirby Dach will miss his second straight game tonight against Toronto due to a non-COVID illness. The 22-year-old tried to take part in the morning skate but left just minutes in. Dach has had a breakout year in his first season with Montreal as he has 12 goals and 23 assists in 54 games so far, good for third on the team in scoring.
- The Capitals have activated winger Tom Wilson from injured reserve, reports NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti (Twitter link). The 28-year-old has been out for more than three weeks after blocking a shot off his ankle late last month. Between that and his recovery from knee surgery last spring, Wilson has been limited to just eight games so far, where he has two goals, an assist, and 33 hits.
Tristan Jarry Might Return Saturday
- Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters today (video link) prior to tonight’s game that goaltender Tristan Jarry skated today and that they haven’t ruled out the possibility of him returning on Saturday against New Jersey. Jarry has missed the last three weeks due to an upper-body injury and had been playing quite well up to that point, posting a career-high .921 SV% in his first 27 starts of the season. Pittsburgh is in a very tight battle for a Wild Card spot and welcoming their starting goalie back would go a long way toward helping their chances for the stretch run.
Valtteri Pulli Drawing NHL Interest
Most of the news right now revolves around the NHL trade deadline, as media members try to find out where everyone will be playing when the dust settles. But yesterday, Jeff Marek squished in another interesting nugget during the 32 Thoughts podcast for Sportsnet.
Valtteri Pulli, an undrafted Finnish defenseman, is drawing interest from several NHL clubs.
A number of teams that have shown interest but at varying degrees. I’ve heard of a couple different teams that are really hot on him, and a couple that just will kick tires. I’m having a hard time trying to figure out who is really aggressive and who is just curious.
It sounds like the teams with interest (and again to varying degrees) are the San Jose Sharks…the Winnipeg Jets, the Boston Bruins, the Vancouver Canucks, the Nashville Predators, the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the New York Islanders.
Pulli, 21, is a 6’6″ left-shot defenseman who is in his first full season for TPS in the Finnish Liiga, and has three goals and 14 points in 47 games. While those numbers don’t sound too impressive, he has shown flashes of high offensive potential, as he learns to use his massive frame to protect the puck and get it to dangerous areas.
Of course, flashes of potential don’t get you NHL minutes, and Pulli is by no means a finished product. He’ll turn 22 next month, though, meaning teams will have lots of time to try and develop him into an impact player.
Since he turns 22 next month, Pulli will be limited to a two-year entry-level contract when he does sign.
Pittsburgh Penguins Make Three Roster Moves
Official now, Kasperi Kapanen and Josh Archibald have been activated from injured reserve. To make room on the roster, Tristan Jarry has been moved to IR – though that doesn’t necessarily mean his status has changed. Jarry was on the ice this morning, and his placement was retroactive to January 22, so he will be eligible to return as soon as he is healthy.
It’s been a forgettable season for Kapanen, with just six goals through 35 appearances. He’s been scratched, demoted, and overlooked for much of the year, thanks to an inconsistent game that just won’t go away.
A brilliant skater with the size, strength, and puck skills to be an effective top-six winger in the NHL, Kapanen has never been able to match the 20-goal, 44-point campaign he had in 2018-19 with the Toronto Maple Leafs. His production has gone up and down like a see-saw, along with his minutes and opportunity.
Many were surprised when the Penguins decided to sign him to a two-year contract last summer that carries a $3.2MM cap hit, knowing how unreliable he had been to this point. Well, now that he’s healthy, Kapanen will have another chance to prove he’s not just a guy but can be an impact player on a playoff roster.
Archibald, meanwhile, has never had the same kind of expectations. The sixth-round pick scored 12 goals in back-to-back seasons a few years ago but is not considered an offensive threat and is only relied on for energy and penalty killing. He hasn’t been able to provide either since going out of the lineup in December, meaning the Penguins will get a little jolt to the bottom six when he suits up.
With Jarry still not ready to return, Casey DeSmith is expected to start tonight.
Morning Notes: Walsh, Penguins, Pegula
According to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, the NHLPA is expected to name Marty Walsh as its next executive director. The sitting U.S. Secretary of Labor will be installed after Tuesday’s presidential address, though a formal executive board vote is still required. Seravalli reports it is expected to be a unanimous approval for Walsh, a former Boston mayor who was only included in the search a few weeks ago.
Here are some more notes from around the league:
- The Pittsburgh Penguins will have Kasperi Kapanen and Josh Archibald available this evening, but Tristan Jarry isn’t quite ready to return. Casey DeSmith will get the start, his 23rd appearance of the season. The 31-year-old netminder has a .901 save percentage on the year and is 7-10-4, proving exactly why the Penguins need Jarry back as soon as possible (and why goaltending is an area of concern as they head toward the trade deadline). Getting Kapanen, who hasn’t played since January 18, back to playing at a high level would also be huge for Pittsburgh; the 26-year-old has just six goals and 17 points through 35 games this season.
- Regardless of what you think of the Buffalo Sabres ownership, it is hard to read professional tennis player Jessica Pegula’s heartfelt piece in the Players’ Tribune this morning, which revealed that her mother has been battling serious health issues since last summer. Kim Pegula, president and co-owner of the Sabres (and Jessica’s mother), suffered cardiac arrest in June 2022, leading to a long stay in the hospital. She is now on the road to recovery.
Hextall: Looking To Add But Won't Move First-Round Pick
If the Penguins are going to be buyers for next month’s trade deadline, there’s at least one key asset that they’re not willing to move. Speaking with reporters including Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, GM Ron Hextall stated that they won’t be willing to move their first-round pick. At this time, Hextall plans to try to add a piece if he can, stating that “If we can do something to make us better this year, I’m looking to do it”. However, with limited space to work with (they have just $1.35MM in LTIR space at the moment per CapFriendly), any move they’re looking to make at this point is probably going to be of the depth variety.
Penguins Recall Dustin Tokarski On An Emergency Basis
It appears that Tristan Jarry won’t be able to return after the All-Star break as the Penguins announced that they’ve recalled goaltender Dustin Tokarski from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on an emergency basis. He had been sent down late last month when Pittsburgh hit their bye week.
The 33-year-old has made two appearances with Pittsburgh this season, posting a 2.67 GAA and a .915 SV%. While it’s a small sample size, both marks are better than his career averages of 3.12 and .902 respectively in 78 appearances over nine seasons. Tokarski has spent the bulk of the campaign in the AHL and has done well with a 2.31 GAA and a .920 SV% in 21 games, numbers that put him in the top eight in both categories.
The Penguins were hoping that Jarry would be able to return from the upper-body injury that has kept him out for the last couple of weeks but that’s unlikely to be the case now. Instead, it will continue to be Casey DeSmith’s net for the time being as he tries to keep them in the playoff mix. At the moment, Pittsburgh holds a one-point lead on Buffalo for the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. Their schedule resumes on Tuesday with a matchup against Colorado.
Pittsburgh Penguins Send Two Players To AHL
With the Pittsburgh Penguins off through the All-Star break, the team has assigned a pair of players to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL. Forward Jonathan Gruden and goalie Dustin Tokarski will rejoin Pittsburgh’s minor-league affiliate, the team said Sunday morning.
Gruden’s past two weeks on the NHL roster was the first call-up of his career, discounting preseason moves. He played in his first three NHL games on January 16, 18, and 20 and was held off most box-score stats as he averaged just 5:19 of ice time per game.
He was essentially an emergency injury replacement, as many of Pittsburgh’s bottom-six forwards were absent from the lineup with injuries. As players like Ryan Poehling returned to health over the last couple of weeks, Gruden was a scratch for Pittsburgh’s last four games. The 22-year-old natural winger, acquired in the Matt Murray trade from the Ottawa Senators in 2020, returns to Wilkes/Barre-Scranton, where he has 16 points in 32 games this season. Barring more injuries, that’s where he’ll stay for the remainder of the 2022-23 campaign.
Tokarski, on the other hand, is a much more experienced NHLer who could see a recall back to Pittsburgh when the All-Star break concludes, depending on the health of starter Tristan Jarry. Pittsburgh’s recalled Tokarski twice in the past month, once on January 3 and once on January 25, as Jarry’s dealt with injury issues that have kept him out of the lineup for most of the month.
The 33-year-old Tokarski, with 78 NHL games under his belt, is one of the best third-string options available in the league. He served as a full-time backup for the first time in his career last season, posting a 10-12-5 record and a .899 save percentage in 29 appearances with the Buffalo Sabres. Sitting third on the depth chart in Pittsburgh behind Jarry and Casey DeSmith, however, Tokarski’s dominated the minors with a .923 save percentage in 20 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
In two appearances in the NHL this season with Jarry out, Tokarski’s split his decisions with a 1-1-0 record and a .915 save percentage. If Jarry isn’t ready to go by the conclusion of the All-Star break, Tokarski could be in line for some more starts. DeSmith’s play has been subpar since the calendar turned to 2023, going 3-4-2 in 10 games with a .887 save percentage.