Penguins/NHL
Has Arron Asham gone from “improving” and being a possibility to play the season opener to now being “out indefinitely”?
Head coach Dan Bylsma said today at his media conference that Asham is “out indefinitely at this point”.
Asham has not skated since October 1, but the Penguins waited until the last minute to put him on injured reserve and at least publicly the team was hopeful Asham could have suited up for the opener.
Asham has been around the facility and has not looked like a player with a serious injury but nonetheless he is now expected to be out for at least a couple weeks.
“He’s getting better but I’m not ready to put a timetable on it,” Bylsma said when asked about Asham’s return. “He’s not going to be playing tonight. It’s more than day-to-day at this point.”
Asham was expected to be focal point on the Penguins third line and his injury has opened up an opportunity for Tyler Kennedy to regain his former spot.
Bylsma said today that Kennedy shouldn’t be focused on scoring goals.
“It is an opportunity, Dan Bylsma said today. “There is an opportunity there for a couple of people. Tyler Kennedy should be thinking about playing his game a lot more than scoring goals. He is a guy who adds a lot of energy and speed but really needs to focus on bringing that grit and physical aspect to his game. He needs to win puck battles. He is a guy who likes to be on the outside a little more and needs to get inside a lot more and get to the net.”
