Injured reserve has been an all-too-popular place for the Pittsburgh Penguins this season.
And, although they added a few players to the list on Tuesday, there is one key player who appears close to a return.
Penguins' top-line forward Rickard Rakell was cleared for contact and participated in Tuesday's morning skate. Although he is not in the lineup for the Penguins' matchup against the Anaheim Ducks, it's a good sign that he's not far off of a return.
Rakell was injured when a shot hit his left hand during an Oct. 25 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. The broken hand required surgery, and he was expected to miss eight weeks. Right now, it has been six weeks since his initial injury, and there's a chance he might return before that two-month marker.
And the Penguins would certainly welcome his return right now. Not only does Rakell have three goals and eight points in nine games, the Penguins also placed Evgeni Malkin and Blake Lizotte on IR Tuesday with week-to-week undisclosed injuries and recalled Danton Heinen and Sam Poulin from the AHL to take their place on the roster.
Penguins Call Up 2 Forwards As Injury Bug BitesThe Penguins have called up two forwards from the AHL. When he's ready, Rakell's ability to play center might prove valuable without Malkin, as will the ability of others on the team - like Heinen - to switch between center and wing.
"It happens. It's part of the season," Muse said. "You deal with injuries, we've been dealing with it, and I think the entire league has. It's 'next guy up.' So, it was mentioned before, but we have a lot of guys there in [Wilkes-Barre/Scranton] that have been doing a great job, and there becomes opportunity. I think we also have it right now where there's different options in regards to guys that can play both center and wing. Some guys that have maybe been on the wing at different times will move over to center."
There is no exact timetable on a potential return for Rakell as of now.
Penguins' Top Defensive Prospect Named To Team Canada's Preliminary World Junior RosterIt appears that at least two prospects from the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a> could be headed to the World Junior Championship (WJC).
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