Cole skated on the third pair at Wednesday’s practice and has officially been cleared to play. However, head coach Jared Bednar said they haven’t made a decision on whether or not he will play vs. the Bruins.
Agozzino led the Colorado Eagles (AHL) with 60 points (26G / 34A) in 56 games last season and signed with the Penguins this summer. He was held pointless in his Wilkes-Barre/Scranton debut but has been recalled because both Evgeni Malkin and Nick Bjugstad are out for Tuesday’s game. The 28-year-old winger has five points (1G / 4A) in 21 career NHL games.
Crouse missed Monday’s practice with an upper-body injury which makes him questionable heading into Thursday’s game vs. the Golden Knights. With Crouse hurt, Barrett Hayton will likely make his NHL debut this week.
Cole is on injured reserve as he recovers from offseason hip surgery but he is nearing his season debut. Cole was on the ice for Monday’s practice and was cleared for contact. Look for Cole to potentially be inserted into the Avalanche lineup at some point this week.
Schmidt was hurt in the first period of the season opener and is expected to miss at least a couple of weeks with a lower-body injury. With Schmidt sidelined, Nicolas Hague will draw into the Golden Knights lineup and make his NHL debut on Friday.
Schmidt had to be aided off the ice following a knee-on-knee collision midway through the first period. Schmidt did not return and head coach Gerard Gallant did not have a postgame update. Expect the Golden Knights to release some more information on Thursday.
Keller was set to become a restricted free agent after this 2020 season but the Coyotes locked him up early. Keller had a tremendous rookie season but took a step backward in 2019 but his shooting percentage and on-ice SH% should see some positive regression in 2020. Keller’s new contract makes him the highest-paid forward on the Coyotes, surpassing Phil Kessel’s $6.8 AAV.
Marino was acquired from the Oilers for a conditional sixth-round pick in late-July and signs his entry-level deal with the Penguins a few weeks later. Marino had 11 points (3G / 8A) in 33 games at Harvard University last season.
Marino was picked in the sixth-round in 2015 and remains unsigned. Marino is a 6-foot-2, 181 lbs. right-shot defenseman who had three goals and eight assists (11 points) in 33 games in his Junior Year at Harvard University.
Carcone moved from Utica (AHL) to the Marlies in the middle of last season and finished the year with 20 goals and 24 assists (44 points) in 62 AHL games. The 23-year-old will help bolster Belleville’s (AHL) lineup in 2020.
Connauton appeared in 50 games with Arizona last season, posting just one goal and seven assists (eight points). The blueline is crowded right now in Colorado, so look for Connauton to serve as the No.6/7 defenseman for most of the 2020 campaign.
Maatta was a first-round pick in 2012 but fell out of favour in Pittsburgh this past season. The Penguins brought in Jack Johnson and acquired Erik Gudbranson at the trade deadline and continued to push Maatta down the depth chart. The 24-year-old has had some injury issues throughout his career and is coming off of a season where he had 14 points (1G / 13A) in 60 games. Maatta, who has three years left at $4.083M AAV, will likely play on the Blackhawks third pairing.
