Penguins forward Teddy Blueger has been activated from long-term injured reserve a few hours before they host the Toronto Maple Leafs at PPG Paints Arena.
To make room on the roster, the Penguins assigned forward Filip Hallander to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Following Tuesday’s morning skate, Penguins coach Mike Sullivan labeled Blueger — and most of his lineup — as a “game-time decision.”
Blueger has yet to play a game this season as a result of an undisclosed injury he suffered during a training camp practice Sept. 28.
In 65 games last season, Blueger had 28 points (nine goals, 19 assists) while logging 15:01 of ice time per contest.
Typically deployed on the team’s fourth line and the top penalty kill unit, Blueger is key to the Penguins’ overall team defense.
Last season, Blueger led the Penguins with 130 short-handed faceoffs taken and was second on the squad with 360 defensive-zone faceoffs in all situations despite being limited to 65 games because of various ailments.
In a corresponding transaction, rookie forward Filip Hallander was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League (AHL).
Recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Nov. 8, Hallander has appeared in two NHL games and has no points while averaging 9:58 seconds of ice time. He was scratched during Saturday’s 5-4 overtime road loss to the Montreal Canadiens due to an undisclosed illness.
At the time of his recall, Hallander was Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s leading scorer. In 10 AHL games, Hallander has four goals and nine assists.
