Adam Payerl among early cuts as Penguins reduce roster to 37

BUZZ ON PENGUINS CAMP ROSTER

The Pittsburgh Penguins have cut down their roster to 37, the team announced this morning.

Per the Penguins, the team assigned 17 players to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League (AHL): goaltenders Matt Murray and Eric Hartzell; forwards Conor Sheary, Tom Kostopoulos, Scott Wilson, Josh Archibald, Anton Zlobin, Jean-Sebastien Dea, Matia Marcantuoni, Tom Kuhnhackl, Adam Payerl, Bryan Rust and Nick Drazenovic; and defensemen Nick D’Agostino, Harrison Ruopp, Alex Boak, Clark Seymour

Top Goaltending prospect Tristan Jarry has been assigned to his junior team, the Edmonton Oil Kings of the Western Hockey League.

Among the notables sent down, the top name is Adam Payerl who remains in a similar situation as last year. Team officials couldn’t stop raving about him in the summer but when it comes to playing against NHL talent in camp, he’s unable to stick.

Prospects J.S. Dea, Anton Zlobin and Josh Archibald all had positive camps as they report to Wilkes Barre’s camp that starts Friday.

WHERE PENGUINS ROSTER STANDS NOW

Defensemen (13)

Paul Martin, Kris Letang, Christian Ehrhoff, Rob Scuderi, Olli Maatta, Simon Despres, Philip Samuelsson, Robert Bortuzzo, Derrick Pouliot, Reid McNeil, Taylor Chorney, Brian Dumoulin, Scott Harrington.

With Maatta likely to be ready for start of season, there’s no spots available with Martin, Letang, Ehrhoff, Scuderi, Maatta, Despres and Bortuzzo among the seven. However, is that the best seven? The Penguins are unlikely to finish the season with those seven.

Some team officials believe it’s just a matter of time Harrington and Dumoulin push their way onto the roster but the numbers game hurts them right off the bat.

Chorney and McNeil have both had strong camps and are putting themselves in the mix where the Penguins could look to try to trade Philip Samuelsson who is eligible for waivers, instead of potentially losing him for nothing. There is interest in Samuelsson around the league, NHL sources say.

Craig Adams, Beau Bennett, Daniel Carcillo (PTO), Blake Comeau, Sidney Crosby, Steve Downie, Pascal Dupuis, Andrew Ebbett, Bobby Farnham, Marcel Goc, Patric Hornqvist, Kasperi Kapanen, Chris Kunitz, Pierre-Luc Leblond, Evgeni Malkin, Jayson Megna, Zach Sill, Nick Spaling, Oscar Sundqvist, Brandon Sutter, Dominik Uher.

The battle for the 13th forward spot is wide open and could there be two forward spots up for grabs? More on that later in regards to Craig Adams.

Sill, Megna, Farnham, and Carcillo remain the top candidates for one of the final forward spots.

Dominik Uher staying in camp over others is telling as he’s a player rising the organizational depth chart when it comes to role players.

Oscar Sundvist showed great flashes Monday night and the Penguins want to get him in another preseason game for experience.

Goaltenders (3)

Marc Andre Fleury, Thomas Greiss, Jeff Zatkoff

We know the story here. Fleury and Greiss are going to be the No. 1, 2. Pittsburgh will look to slide Zatkoff to the minors where they feel he will clear.