In the wake of the Pittsburgh Penguins being without both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin for what will likely be at least a few games – and with their lack of movement at the NHL’s trade deadline on Friday – the team made a roster move to address some of their scoring depth.
After the deadline on Friday, the Penguins recalled winger Ville Koivunen from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) Penguins. The recall comes ahead of their weekend back-to-back home games against the Philadelphia Flyers and the Boston Bruins and after it was announced that Malkin was suspended five games for his slash to the head of Buffalo Sabres’ defenseman Rasmus Dahlin on Thursday.
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Koivunen, 22, was just named the AHL Player of the Month for February after recording six goals and 16 points in 11 games with WBS.
Evgeni Malkin Suspended Five Games By NHL’s Department Of Player Safety
Evgeni Malkin Suspended Five Games By NHL’s Department Of Player Safety Evgeni Malkin has been suspended for five games for slashing Rasmus Dahlin.
The 6-foot, 184-pound forward prospect was brought to Pittsburgh via the Jake Guentzel trade in the spring of 2024, and he has been up and down between the AHL and NHL levels this season. He began the season in Pittsburgh for the first two games of the season and was sent back for most of October, then he returned for a longer stint until the end of December.
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In 27 NHL games this season, he has two goals and seven points, and he has 12 points in 35 career NHL games split between this season and last season. He figures to slot either in Malkin’s spot alongside Egor Chinakhov and Tommy Novak or on the third line with Ben Kindel.
Koivunen is the only WBS Penguins’ player above point-per-game this season with 11 goals and 33 points in 28 AHL games.
Penguins’ Prospect Named AHL Player Of The Month
Penguins’ Prospect Named AHL Player Of The Month Pittsburgh Penguins’ prospect Ville Koivunen was given the AHL’s top honors for the month of February and continues to impress at that level.
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