The Penguins put Radim Zohorna on waivers on Tuesday afternoon. He will remain on waivers until 2 p.m. on Wednesday, after which he will either clear or be claimed by another team. If Zohorna clears, he will be eligible to be re-assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton but he doesn't have to be. Players can play up to 10 games or spend up to 30 days on the active roster before requiring waivers again to be sent down.
Zohorna was a healthy scratch for two weeks after Dec. 30 and has seen limited ice time in the two games he's played since Reilly Smith's injury presented an opportunity with an open roster spot. He played just 4:26 over eight shifts on Saturday against the Hurricane and then 7:41 over 12 shifts Monday against the Kraken.
The Penguins leave for their Las Vegas-Arizona road trip on Wednesday, and will likely need to recall at least one defenseman before heading out west. If Chad Ruhwedel is to miss any time after leaving Monday's game with an injury, then the Penguins would need to recall a defenseman regardless. Even if Ruhwedel is OK, then the Penguins would ideally bring an extra on the trip since they're going to be so far from home. The Penguins don't have cap space for a recall, but could create that space by putting Reilly Smith on long-term injured reserve as he's out longer-term with an upper-body injury, or they could send down the forward who didn't play Saturday and wouldn't yet need waivers in Colin White. Simply putting Zohorna on waivers to swap him for a defenseman seems unlikely.
The likely explanation is that the Penguins just want to replace Zohorna with a forward that will be more effective. Zohorna's lone point in his last 18 games was the goal he scored in the 7-0 beating of the Islanders on Dec. 27.
Assuming the Penguins are looking to replace Zohorna at forward, Sam Poulin is the option that makes sense. He's been limited to 17 AHL games this season due to an injury that kept him out for over a month, but has eight goals and three assists. He's played 12 games since returning from that injury on Dec. 16, with seven of his goals and two of his assists coming in those 12 games. He's currently riding a four-game goal streak, the longest such streak of his AHL career.
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THE ASYLUM
Taylor Haase
3:31 pm - 01.16.2024PPG Paints ArenaZohorna on waivers ... clearing path for Poulin?
The Penguins put Radim Zohorna on waivers on Tuesday afternoon. He will remain on waivers until 2 p.m. on Wednesday, after which he will either clear or be claimed by another team. If Zohorna clears, he will be eligible to be re-assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton but he doesn't have to be. Players can play up to 10 games or spend up to 30 days on the active roster before requiring waivers again to be sent down.
Zohorna was a healthy scratch for two weeks after Dec. 30 and has seen limited ice time in the two games he's played since Reilly Smith's injury presented an opportunity with an open roster spot. He played just 4:26 over eight shifts on Saturday against the Hurricane and then 7:41 over 12 shifts Monday against the Kraken.
The Penguins leave for their Las Vegas-Arizona road trip on Wednesday, and will likely need to recall at least one defenseman before heading out west. If Chad Ruhwedel is to miss any time after leaving Monday's game with an injury, then the Penguins would need to recall a defenseman regardless. Even if Ruhwedel is OK, then the Penguins would ideally bring an extra on the trip since they're going to be so far from home. The Penguins don't have cap space for a recall, but could create that space by putting Reilly Smith on long-term injured reserve as he's out longer-term with an upper-body injury, or they could send down the forward who didn't play Saturday and wouldn't yet need waivers in Colin White. Simply putting Zohorna on waivers to swap him for a defenseman seems unlikely.
The likely explanation is that the Penguins just want to replace Zohorna with a forward that will be more effective. Zohorna's lone point in his last 18 games was the goal he scored in the 7-0 beating of the Islanders on Dec. 27.
Assuming the Penguins are looking to replace Zohorna at forward, Sam Poulin is the option that makes sense. He's been limited to 17 AHL games this season due to an injury that kept him out for over a month, but has eight goals and three assists. He's played 12 games since returning from that injury on Dec. 16, with seven of his goals and two of his assists coming in those 12 games. He's currently riding a four-game goal streak, the longest such streak of his AHL career.
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