Kyle Dubas Completes Two Roster Moves Involving Evgeni Malkin and Jesse Puljujarvi
The Pittsburgh Penguins are desperate to find some major momentum, and now Kyle Dubas has made two moves, one of which involves superstar Evgeni Malkin.
Over their past seven games, the Pittsburgh Penguins have managed just one victory, and after turning around their slow start to the season, things once again seem bleak for this ageing core.
Now however, they've got some good news on the Evgeni Malkin front just days after placing him on Injured Reserve, as the team have made two roster moves that will give them a major boost.
As announced on the team's social media pages, they have activated Malkin from Injured Reserve, and in a corresponding move, they have re-assigned young forward Jesse Puljujarvi to the AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Malkin hasn't played a game for Pittsburgh since the 5th of January, and in that time they've struggled mightily, and with their goaltending remaining a major issue, they can't afford to be missing one of their top offensive stars for too long.
In 41 games this year, Malkin has remained productive, tallying 8 goals and 32 points in that time, and with Sidney Crosby still leading this team and the likes of Bryan Rust and Rickard Rackell contributing, there's no doubt that the talent is there for this team to compete.
However, injuries have been mounting, and given how competitive the Wild Card race has been in the Eastern Conference, if the team lose any of their key pieces to a long-term injury, it may be the end of their lofty Stanley Cup Playoff dreams.
Ultimately though, this is a team that's clearly ageing, and with that comes plenty of injury issues, and with the duo of Tristan Jarry and Alex Nedeljkovic struggling mightily, the odds are definitely against the Penguins this season.
