Penguins/NHL
Defenseman Simon Despres has been re-assigned to Wilkes Barre/Scranton, the Penguins announced minutes ago.
The procedural move has been made for Kris Letang’s return to the lineup tonight vs the Montreal Canadiens. Letang has been activated off injured reserve and is expected to play.
The Penguins active roster now stands at 13 forwards, 8 defensemen and 2 goaltenders, with Evgeni Malkin still on injured reserve.
After April 3rd team’s don’t have to abide by the 23 active man roster rules. Despres is likely to be recalled next week but he’s unlikely to have a regular role on the backend with the addition of Douglas Murray and the trust that the coaching staff has in Mark Eaton.
All indications are the coaching staff see’s the top six defensemen going down the stretch being:
Brooks Orpik, Paul Martin, Kris Letang, Mark Eaton, Douglas Murray and Matt Niskanen.
