The Pittsburgh Penguins are dealing with another forward injury, but they also got a bit of encouraging news on the practice sheet.
Before the team hit the ice, Pittsburgh announced that Elmer Söderblom is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. That leaves his status for the next game up in the air, though the Penguins don’t host the Utah Mammoth for a few days, so there’s a chance he could still be back by Thursday.
Söderblom has played six games for Pittsburgh this season, picking up one assist while averaging 11:25 of ice time. He has also stood out on the defensive side, where he’s been Pittsburgh’s best defensive forward by one measure, posting a 92.3% on-ice SV% at even strength.
If Söderblom can’t return in time, the Penguins may need to bring in help from outside. Pittsburgh already has three forwards on injured reserve, and the team was also missing Evgeni Malkin and Egor Chinakhov in its most recent game against the Nashville Predators.
Elsewhere in the Metro, Carolina may have a forward available after all. Mark Jankowski had previously been expected to sit against the Boston Bruins tonight, but that changed after practice.
He told North State Journal’s Cory Lavalette that he is “good to go” for tonight. Carolina still hasn’t confirmed whether he’ll actually be back in the lineup, but the update is a positive one after his lower-body injury.
The Penguins also received a welcome update at practice this morning. Benjamin Kindel, who had been hospitalized less than a week ago after a vasovagal episode, returned to practice. There is no clear timetable for his recovery yet.
In Other News...
Hurricanes Just Sent A Strong Early Message Against Boston
A tight, early-season measuring stick against Boston turned into another example of Carolina finding a way to close. The Hurricanes beat the Bruins 2-1 on the strength of first-period goals from Jackson Blake and Pavel Zacha, then leaned on Sebastian Aho to finish the job in the third period. Pyotr Kochetkov did the rest in net, turning aside 14 shots as Carolina kept its recent run going and extended its point streak to four games.
For a team that wants to set the tone against a familiar Atlantic Division opponent, this was the kind of win that carries a little extra weight. The game stayed razor-thin after the opening period, but Carolinas structure and patience held up late, and Aho once again supplied the decisive touch when the margin got small. The result did more than add two points to the standings - it also gave the Hurricanes a strong first look at where they stack up against a Bruins team they may see plenty more of. [Read more 🡒]
Eric Tulsky Just Clarified Carolinas Nikita Nikishin Contract Leverage
The wrinkle in Nikita Nikishins contract situation is less about cap math than the NHLs little-noticed 10.2(c) designation, a category that leaves certain young players without the usual restricted free agency leverage. For Carolina, that means the discussion around Nikishin is not the standard negotiation dance fans are used to seeing with most RFAs, because this is a different stage of the process entirely.
Eric Tulsky framed it in a way that makes the contrast easy to see, especially for anyone familiar with how these cases can play out in other sports. In the NFL, players in a similar spot often sign the qualifying offer, play out another year, and then move toward normal restricted free agency, but the NHL does not always give that same pathway, which is why teams and players can end up operating under very different rules than the headline suggests. [Read more 🡒]
Hurricanes Fans Should Pay Attention To Eric Tulskys Offer Sheet View
With the NHL rumor mill still churning, the Hurricanes have a little more reason than usual to pay attention to how the market could develop around trade targets and free agents. Nick Kypreos has suggested the Flyers are increasingly likely to move defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen this year if they keep pushing toward playoff contention, while Emily Kaplan reported that Patrik Laine intends to stay in the NHL rather than head to Europe. For a Carolina front office that is always scanning for ways to improve, those are the kinds of names and possibilities that can quickly shape the rest of the conversation.
Eric Tulsky also offered a useful reminder about how offer sheets fit into that landscape. His explanation framed them as a tool that can function much like a trade offer while also putting pressure on another team by changing the money involved, which makes salary cap space a central part of the equation on both sides. For a Hurricanes team that has long been active in roster-building discussions, that kind of perspective matters because the real question is not just who is available, but which teams can actually afford to play that game. [Read more 🡒]