Some reinforcements are on the way for the Penguins as a portion of the roster deals with injuries.
Defenseman Ty Smith and forward Drake Caggiula have been recalled from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the AHL, it was announced on Wednesday by Ron Hextall.
It was also announced that Josh Archibald, who has missed the last three games with a lower-body injury, and Ryan Poehling, who has missed the last two games with an upper-body injury, were placed on injured reserve. Archibald's placement on injured reserve is retroactive to Dec. 18, while Poehling's placement is retroactive to Dec. 20.
Smith, 22, was one of the final cuts from the Penguins' preseason roster and has spent the entirety of the season in the AHL to this point. He's picked up four goals and 10 assists in 26 games while playing on Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's top defense pairing and top power-play unit. Acquired in the trade that sent John Marino to the Devils this past offseason, Smith possesses some intriguing skating and puck-distribution skills, though his defensive game needed some work at the beginning of the season.
Caggiula, 28, also pushed for a spot on the Penguins' NHL roster at the start of the season, but ultimately wound up in the AHL for the first time in his career. He was recalled for a brief stretch earlier this season, recording no points in three games. Down in the minors, he has four goals and 10 assists in 23 games this season.
The Penguins had plenty of cap space for both recalls as Jeff Petry remains on long-term injured reserve with an injury to his arm/wrist/hand area. After the recalls, the Penguins have $3,111,667 in current cap space.
Chad Ruhwedel left during the second period of the Penguins' loss to the Islanders on Tuesday night with an upper-body injury and did not return. While Mark Friedman figures to slot into the lineup for Ruhwedel on Wednesday night against the Red Wings here at PPG Paints Arena since he's a right-handed shooter, Smith serves as some insurance as the No. 7 defenseman in the event Ruhwedel is unavailable or misses any time.
With Archibald and Poehling on the shelf, Caggiula is the Penguins' 13th forward, though it's possible he could draw into the lineup for Drew O'Connor, who is averaging under seven minutes of ice time in the two games he's played since being recalled.