Penguins forward Jeff Carter remains sidelined
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jeff Carter missed his third consecutive game Thursday as he shakes off the aftereffects of covid-19.
Carter formally was removed from the protocols Wednesday after initially entering them Dec. 31.
He remained in a nonroster designation for Thursday’s road game against the Philadelphia Flyers.
“He’s real close,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said to media in Philadelphia. “He’s coming out of the covid protocol. He was symptomatic. The guys that have had symptoms, it takes a little bit longer to get them to the point where their conditioning, their energy level, their fine motor skill are where they need to be to set them up for success. He was a game-time decision. We skated him (Thursday) morning. We had a conversation with him, and we just made a decision that it’s best that he gets another couple of practices before we put him back in but he’s real close.”
In 27 games this season, Carter has 17 points (nine goals, eight assists).
Penguins excited over Nylander
A day after adding forward Alex Nylander in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks, Sullivan offered some insight into what motivated the Penguins to acquire a player who has struggled to establish himself in the NHL despite being the eighth overall pick in the 2016 draft.
“(Management) is really excited about his skill level, his potential to play the type of game that we’re trying to play here in Pittsburgh,” Sullivan said. “He was obviously a real high pick. He has a lot of skill, he has real good offensive instincts. He has an immature game. He’s going to get an opportunity to develop his game on both sides of the puck. I’m looking forward to getting more familiar with his game first-hand. I know our scouting department and (general manager Ron Hextall), in particular, is very excited about the opportunity that we have with Alex to try to help him improve and get to the point that he can be an impact player at the NHL level.”
After missing all of the 2020-21 campaign because of a left knee injury that required surgery to correct, Nylander has spent this season either in the American Hockey League (AHL) or the taxi squad. According to the Chicago Sun Times, Nylander recently had asked Blackhawks management for a greater opportunity at the NHL level either in Chicago or elsewhere.
Nylander, 23, is assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL.
Exec Daley signs ECHL contract
In an unusual move, Penguins hockey operations advisor Trevor Daley signed a professional tryout contract with the Florida Everblades, an ECHL team based in Estero, Fla.
According to a Penguins spokesperson, Daley remains a member of the franchise. Daley, 38, is expected to play a handful of games for the Everblades who are dealing with roster shortages related to covid-19.
Daley retired following a 16-year career in the NHL as a defenseman in October of 2020 and joined the Penguins in his advisory role. Late in his playing career, Daley was a key member of the Penguins’ blue line during the franchise’s Stanley Cup titles in 2016 and ’17.
Young heads to the Olympics
Penguins director of player development Scott Young was named as an assistant coach for the United States Men’s Olympic team in the upcoming games in Beijing.
The 54-year-old Young will work under head coach David Quinn.
A native of Clinton, Mass., Young served in the same capacity for the United States during the 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang and played for the United States in three Olympic tournaments (1988, 1992 and 2002).
In his fifth year as the Penguins’ director of player development, Young was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2017.
Prospect Ansons traded
Penguins forward prospect Raivis Ansons was traded within the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), going from the Baie-Comeau Drakkar to the Saint John Sea Dogs.
In 19 QMJHL games this season, Ansons has 24 points (six goals, 18 assists). A native of Latvia, the 19-year-old Ansons was a fifth-round pick (No. 149 overall) by the Penguins in the 2020 draft.
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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