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Zach Aston-Reese

Zach Aston-Reese Tests Positive For COVID

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The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without Zach Aston-Reese for a while after he tested positive for COVID-19. Head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters including Josh Yohe of The Athletic that Aston-Reese will enter the league’s protocol.

With the Penguins already missing their two best forwards, losing Aston-Reese for any length of time is certainly not ideal. The team re-signed the 27-year-old forward to a one-year, $1.75MM contract this summer as a valuable, versatile option that has experience playing all over the lineup. While he should be out of the protocols before the season begins, this obviously complicates his status.

This, like the recent absences of Kevin Lankinen and Mike Hardman in Chicago, is another reminder that this season will not be completely back to normal. Teams and players, even those who have achieved full vaccination status, could still face sudden absences based on testing results and will have to prepare accordingly. Having depth options at the ready will be extremely important, especially for a team like Pittsburgh that can’t afford to throw away any games in the competitive Metropolitan Division.

2021 Arbitration Tracker

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Originally published on August 5

The dates for the upcoming arbitration hearings have been set, with the first three scheduled for August 11. Hearings will continue through August 26 in this condensed offseason. It is important to note that the CBA agreement last year changed the rules for arbitration, so that once a hearing begins, teams are no longer allowed to negotiate with the player in question.

The full schedule is:

August 11
Adam Pelech (New York Islanders) – Settled, 8 years, $5.75MM AAV
Michael McNiven (Montreal Canadiens) – Settled, 1 year, $750K/$100K AAV (two-way)
Jakub Vrana (Detroit Red Wings) – Player filing: $5.7MM – Team filing: $3.65MM – Settled, 3 years, $5.25MM AAV

August 12
Victor Mete (Ottawa Senators) – Settled, 1 year, $1.2MM AAV

August 13
Neal Pionk (Winnipeg Jets) – Settled, 4 years, $5.875MM AAV

August 14
Vince Dunn (Seattle Kraken) – Settled, 2 years, $4.0MM AAV
Zach Sanford (St. Louis Blues) – Settled, 1 year, $2.0MM AAV

August 16
Adin Hill (San Jose Sharks) – Settled, 2 years, $2.175MM AAV
Ross Colton (Tampa Bay Lightning) – Settled, 2 years, $1.125MM AAV

August 17
Kevin Fiala (Minnesota Wild) – Player filing: $6.25MM – Team filing: $4.0MM – Settled, 1 year, $5.1MM AAV

August 18
Juuse Saros (Nashville Predators) – Settled, 4 years, $5.0MM AAV

August 20
Dante Fabbro (Nashville Predators) – Settled, 2 years, $2.4MM AAV
Jason Dickinson (Vancouver Canucks) – Settled, 3 years, $2.65MM AAV

August 21
Adam Erne (Detroit Red Wings) – Settled, 2 years, $2.1MM AAV
Dennis Gilbert (Colorado Avalanche) – Settled, 1 year, $750K/$160K AAV (two-way)

August 23
Zach Aston-Reese (Pittsburgh Penguins) – Settled, 1 year, $1.725MM AAV

August 26
Andrew Copp (Winnipeg Jets) – Settled, 1 year, $3.64MM AAV
Nikita Zadorov (Calgary Flames) – Settled, 1 year, $3.75MM AAV
Travis Sanheim (Philadelphia Flyers) – Settled, 2 years, $4.675MM AAV

Pittsburgh Penguins Avoid Arbitration With Zach Aston-Reese

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Another player has avoided the dreaded arbitration hearing, as Zach Aston-Reese signs a one-year, $1.725MM contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Aston-Reese’s hearing was scheduled for August 23, but will no longer be required. GM Ron Hextall released a short statement on the deal:

Zach is a versatile forward that brings energy and edge to our lineup. He is a responsible, two-way player and we’re glad we were able to re-sign him.

One of 17 players to file for salary arbitration, Aston-Reese is already the fourth to settle before a hearing happens. The arbitration process is not a rewarding one, so teams and players almost often try to avoid it if possible. In this case, Aston-Reese is settling for a raise of just $725K over the salary he’s earned in each of the last two seasons.

An undrafted free agent signing out of Northeastern University, the 26-year-old Aston-Reese has proven to be a versatile player for the Penguins, moving up and down the lineup as needed. He’s not a top scoring threat by any means but did still chip in nine goals in 45 games this season. In 161 games overall, he has 27 goals and 51 points. Those numbers wouldn’t have helped him much in arbitration, which often focuses on counting stats over other contributions.

Still, he gets a slight raise and will now walk directly into unrestricted free agency next summer. Aston-Reese will turn 27 in just a few days and still figures into the Penguins lineup, though where exactly he fits isn’t clear. The team now has 13 forwards on one-way contracts, including nine being paid more than his $1.725MM. Even though the team lost Jared McCann and Brandon Tanev through the expansion process, things are still pretty crowded for the Penguins upfront.

Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff broke the news on Twitter

East Notes: Penguins Injuries, Rangers, Quinn

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The Penguins have been hit hard by the injury bug so far this season but help is on the way.  On top of John Marino being removed from the CPRA list, fellow blueliners Kris Letang and Mike Matheson were full participants in practice today and should be available to play on Saturday, notes Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  Pittsburgh has been forced to use 11 different defenders in the early going this season with just ten games played so far.

Meanwhile, Vensel adds that winger Zach Aston-Reese also travelled with the team on the second leg of their road trip with head coach Mike Sullivan suggesting that he will be a game-time decision at some point in this three-game stretch.  The 26-year-old has yet to play this season while recovering from shoulder surgery and will need to be activated off LTIR before being allowed to return.

Elsewhere in the East Division:

  • While there are several teams believed to be interested in Blues defenseman Vince Dunn, the Rangers are not among them, reports Larry Brooks of the New York Post. New York certainly has a need on their back end – particularly on the offensive side of things – following the dismissal of Anthony DeAngelo but for now at least, they’re staying away.  St. Louis is seeking a first-round pick for Dunn who is making an affordable $1.875MM this season but will be a restricted free agent again this summer and will have arbitration eligibility this time around.
  • Although the Sabres were hoping to have one of their top prospects in Jack Quinn available for their AHL season-opener, that wasn’t the case. As Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News details, with Quinn being on Buffalo’s taxi squad just before their schedule was put on pause, he must now go through the same quarantine protocols as the NHL squad even though he hadn’t skated with them for a while due to an upper-body injury.  Accordingly, his pro debut will have to wait a little longer.

Pittsburgh Penguins Make Several Transactions

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The Pittsburgh Penguins, who seem to be dominating the headlines lately, have grabbed another one by making several transactions ahead of their game against the Boston Bruins. Kevin Czuczman has been recalled under emergency conditions, while Sam Lafferty is up under a regular recall. Drew O’Connor, who had previously been up under emergency conditions, is now on a regular recall. Zach Aston-Reese, Juuso Riikola, and Evan Rodrigues have all been placed on long-term injured reserve retroactive to their last game played, while Marcus Pettersson has been moved to injured reserve.

Anthony Angello, Frederick Gaudreau, Will Reilly, and Yannick Weber have all been assigned to the taxi squad. All of these moves were announced by interim GM Patrik Allvin.

Czuczman is expected to be in the Penguins lineup for the first time tonight, returning to the NHL after nearly seven years. The last time he suited up at that level was April 13, 2014 with the New York Islanders, but the 30-year-old defenseman at least knows the Penguins’ system from spending the last three seasons with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Perhaps the most interesting addition of all is Reilly, who joins the taxi squad before ever playing a professional game. The 23-year-old defenseman was a seventh-round pick of the Penguins in 2017 and signed his entry-level contract last spring after finishing his senior season at R.P.I. While Weber is going to meet the team in New York this weekend, Reilly is really just an injury or two from being forced into the NHL lineup for the Penguins. He was a strong performer in college, recording 22 points in 34 games last season, but there’s little reason to believe he should be jumping onto the roster at this point.

Evan Rodrigues Out “Longer-Term”

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Injuries are starting to pile up once again for the Pittsburgh Penguins, who had already lost several defensemen from the starting lineup. Today, head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters that Evan Rodrigues would be out “longer-term with a lower-body injury.” Rodrigues collided with New York Rangers forward Filip Chytil on Sunday night, and appeared to injure his knee in the process.

The Penguins’ injured reserve already includes Zach Trotman, Zach Aston-Reese, and Mike Matheson, while Juuso Riikola and Marcus Pettersson could be moved there at any point while they deal with their own injuries. With Rodrigues also now out long-term, the team’s depth is being severely tested through the first part of the season.

For the most part, the Penguins have been able to navigate the injuries and keep their heads above water in the East Division. They sit at 4-2 on the season and are on a four-game winning streak, but still manage to have a negative goal differential. Jack Roslovic, one player they were interested in trading for, has now been moved to his hometown team in Columbus, meaning at least one name is off their radar. One option that could be enticing is Tyler Ennis, who was placed on waivers today by the Edmonton Oilers. The Penguins could potentially fit in his $1MM cap hit and it would give them another veteran to slot somewhere into the lineup.

Otherwise, the team’s reserves will get a chance. The taxi squad currently includes Drew O’Connor and Sam Lafferty, the latter having played 50 games for the team last season.

Zach Aston-Reese Undergoes Shoulder Surgery

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Like Evgeni Malkin this morning, the Pittsburgh Penguins have announced that Zach Aston-Reese recently underwent surgery. The forward underwent a procedure on his left shoulder and is expected to miss six months. That likely means Aston-Reese won’t be ready for the start of 2020-21 training camp, though the exact start date of that season is still subject to change.

Aston-Reese, 26, has been a stable presence in the Penguins lineup since soon after signing as an undrafted free agent in 2017. The college star from Northeastern has played in 117 NHL games over the last three seasons and though he doesn’t bring a ton of offense, has chipped in enough to maintain a role in the lineup.

He signed a two-year, $2MM extension in the summer of 2019, meaning he’s still under contract for the 2020-21 season at a reasonable price. That doesn’t guarantee him a spot with the Penguins given GM Jim Rutherford’s recent comments about change, but it’s going to be tough to move him for full value as he deals with this rehab.

Injury Notes: Bouwmeester, Klefbom, Aston-Reese

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After suffering a cardiac episode and being revived on the bench earlier this month, St. Louis Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester has released a statement thanking all the medical professionals for their hard work in his recovery:

I would sincerely like to thank all of the trainers from both the St. Louis Blues and Anaheim Ducks, as well as all of the first responders, the Anaheim medical staff and the team at the UCI Medical Center for their quick actions on Feb. 11.

Our family has felt the support of the entire National Hockey League family and the city of St. Louis during this time. We have all been greatly comforted by your genuine concern.

On Sunday evening, I returned to St. Louis and I am on the road to recovery. My wife and daughters are forever grateful for everyone’s support and we will continue to have a positive outlook for our future.

It is great news to hear that Bouwmeester has returned to St. Louis and will continue his recovery at home. The entire hockey community wishes him well as he gets better.

  • In other injury news, the Edmonton Oilers have lost another key player for several weeks. Oscar Klefbom will miss two-to-three weeks with a shoulder injury, weakening the Oilers’ already shaky defensive group. It’s hard to overstate how important Klefbom has been this season, logging more than 25 minutes a night and leading all Oilers’ defensemen in scoring with 33 points in 59 games.
  • Speaking of teams that have been injury-riddled, the Pittsburgh Penguins have lost another forward. Zach Aston-Reese has been listed as week-to-week by head coach Mike Sullivan, taking him out of the lineup for the time being. The 25-year old Aston-Reese has been a staple in the Penguins lineup all year, recording 13 points in 57 games while logging significant time on the penalty kill. Though he obviously isn’t as impactful as some of the other Pittsburgh stars who have missed time, his absence will be noticed.

2019 Arbitration Figures And Results

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August 6th: All arbitration cases have now been completed. In total, six cases were decided by an arbitrator’s award this year. That number, though seemingly not many, actually presents a 50% increase over last summer and more than the past two off-seasons combined. Of those six decisions, the teams and players received the favorable decision an even three times apiece, and each award landed within $150K of the midpoint. All things considered, there were few surprises in arbitration, even though there were more awards than expected. Now the question is where the relationships between those teams and players go from here.

Originally published on July 19th: Friday marked the start of the arbitration season in the NHL, with Brock McGinn first scheduled for his hearing with the Carolina Hurricanes. The appointments will come fast and furious after that, with 23 cases left on the books. When we asked our readers how many would actually get to the hearing stage more than 36% of voters thought 3-4 was reasonable, the same number that reached last year.

We know now that at least one will, as Andrew Copp’s agent Kurt Overhardt told Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press that their camp will “look forward to” the hearing scheduled for Sunday. Copp and the Jets exchanged figures earlier today. It is important to remember that the two sides can actually work out a deal in the short period after the hearing and before the actual decision is submitted by the arbitrator. For every case except Ville Husso, who the St. Louis Blues took to arbitration, the team involved will be allowed to choose the duration of the contract awarded. They can choose either one or two years, unless the player is only one year away from unrestricted free agency, at which point only a one-year deal is available.

Here we’ll keep track of all the hearings still on the books and the figures submitted. This page will be updated as the numbers come in:

July 20:

Brock McGinn, Carolina Hurricanes – Team: $1.75MM AAV, Player: $2.7MM AAV
Settled: Two years, $2.1MM AAV

July 21:

Andrew Copp, Winnipeg Jets – Team: $1.5MM AAV, Player: $2.9MM AAV
Awarded: Two years, $2.28MM AAV

July 22: 

MacKenzie Weegar, Florida Panthers
Settled: One year, $1.6MM AAV

Zach Aston-Reese, Pittsburgh Penguins
Settled: Two years, $1.0MM AAV

Ville Husso, St. Louis Blues (team-elected)
Settled: One year, two-way, $700K AAV

Christian Djoos, Washington Capitals – Team: $800K, Player: $1.9MM
Awarded: One year, $1.25MM AAV

July 23: 

Evan Rodrigues, Buffalo Sabres – Team: $1.5MM, Player: $2.65MM
Awarded: One year, $2.0MM AAV

July 24: 

Oskar Sundqvist, St. Louis Blues
Settled: Four years, $2.75MM AAV

Neal Pionk, Winnipeg Jets
Settled: Two years, $3.0MM AAV

July 26: 

Colton Sissons, Nashville Predators
Settled: Seven years, $2.86MM AAV

July 27: 

Sam Bennett, Calgary Flames
Settled: Two years, $2.55MM AAV

July 28: 

Mirco Mueller, New Jersey Devils
Settled: One year, $1.4MM AAV

July 29: 

David Rittich, Calgary Flames
Settled: Two years, $2.75MM AAV

Pavel Buchnevich, New York Rangers
Settled: Two years, $3.25MM AAV

August 1: 

Remi Elie, Buffalo Sabres
Settled: One year, two-way $700K AAV

Chandler Stephenson, Washington Capitals
Settled: One year, $1.05MM

August 2: 

Linus Ullmark, Buffalo Sabres – Team: $800K, Player: $2.65MM
Settled: One year, $1.33MM

Will Butcher, New Jersey Devils
Settled: Three years, $3.73MM AAV

August 4: 

Jake McCabe, Buffalo Sabres – Team: 1.95MM, Player: $4.3MM
Settled: Two years, $2.85MM AAV

Anton Forsberg, Carolina Hurricanes – Team: $700K/$70K, Player: $833K
Awarded: One year, $775K AAV

Sheldon Dries, Colorado Avalanche
Settled: One year, two-way $735K AAV

Rocco Grimaldi, Nashville Predators – Team: $700K/$70K, Player $1.275MM
Awarded: One year, $1MM

Joel Edmundson, St. Louis Blues – Team: $2.3MM, Player $4.2MM
Awarded: One year, $3.1MM

Zach Aston-Reese Re-Signs With Pittsburgh Penguins

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The Pittsburgh Penguins won’t need to wait on an arbitrator’s decision with regards to Zach Aston-Reese. The young forward has re-signed with the team, inking a two-year contract that will carry an average annual value of $1MM. Aston-Reese was scheduled for an arbitration hearing today. GM Jim Rutherford released a short statement on the signing:

Zach is a responsible player who plays a solid two-way game. He has a heavy style of play that is especially effective on the forecheck and penalty kill.

The deal leaves the 24-year old Aston-Reese a restricted free agent again in 2021, as long as he participates in 21 more NHL games before then. That seems extremely likely, as the former Northeastern University standout has developed into a nice depth option for the team that can play in several different situations. Signing with the Penguins after a 63-point senior season at Northeastern, the undrafted Aston-Reese made a great impression on the organization by recording eight points in ten games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. He made his NHL debut the following season, and ended up playing 43 regular season games (and four playoff contests) with the team in 2018-19.

One thing that stood out in Aston-Reese’s senior season at Northeastern was his net-front ability, as he was routinely able to find loose pucks in tight and put them in the back of the net. That same nose around the net has actually led to 12 goals in 59 NHL games, a solid rate for a young player with varying levels of opportunity. He has averaged just over 13 minutes a night over those games, but played as much as 18:30 and as little as 8:00 depending on where he’s slotted into the lineup.

That kind of versatility—Aston-Reese has lined up beside everyone from Sidney Crosby to Matt Cullen at different times—makes him a nice piece for the Penguins as they try to find a little different roster construction heading into 2019-20. With Phil Kessel gone and several new faces on board, it’s not clear at all how the lines will shake out at this point. At the very worst, Aston-Reese is likely ticketed for a depth role on the NHL roster this season, given he would need to clear waivers to be sent to the AHL.

With Marcus Pettersson still to sign however, the Penguins now project to be just over the $81.5MM cap ceiling for next season. Though that could be dealt with by carrying fewer than 23 players at the start of the year, it seems much more likely that Rutherford will find another trade to clear some room over the next few months. If that deal sends a forward out of town, the opportunity for Aston-Reese should only increase.

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