The Penguins were left with few options to get under the $82.5 million salary cap before 23-man rosters were due on Monday at 5 p.m.
They had put Mark Friedman on waivers Saturday afternoon, and Friedman cleared on Sunday. Sending Friedman down to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton would get the Penguins to a 23-man roster, but $780,175 over the salary cap. They needed to send one more player down.
The Penguins' lone player on the roster who was still exempt from waivers in order to be re-assigned to the AHL was Ty Smith, and the Penguins opted to send Smith down.
Teams aren't married to their 23-man rosters submitted at Monday's deadline. They can continue to make roster moves leading up to opening night and throughout the season. Sometimes teams make procedural moves on paper in order to get compliant at the deadline, then undo those moves after the deadline after other necessary moves.
Smith going down to Wilkes-Barre isn't a paper transaction. He's gone. His locker is cleaned out and he's on his way to Wilkes-Barre.
I asked Mike Sullivan about Smith after the Penguins' practice at PPG Paints Arena on Monday evening, and he said that the current lineup isn't "etched in stone," but they are proceeding with the plan for Smith to start the year in Wilkes-Barre.
"We expect Ty to continue to grow and develop his overall game, whether it's here or in Wilkes-Barre," Sullivan said. "We'll monitor his progress. We have open lines of communication with (Wilkes-Barre head coach J.D. Forrest) and his staff down there. I spoke with J.D. yesterday, Todd Reirden spoke with J.D. this morning. We're in constant communication with those guys. We have a pretty good handle on where guys are at and how they progress."
Smith had a strong showing in the preseason, with his best game coming in the preseason finale Friday. He played 17:51 in a third-pairing role alongside Jan Rutta, and recorded one goal, one assist, four shots on goal, one hit and a plus-3 rating, along with one giveaway and one takeaway.
Sullivan's spoken on a number of occasions throughout camp about really liking what Smith can bring offensively while noting that his defensive game is a weakness.
"We have a lot of respect for Ty and his game," Sullivan said Monday. "It's one of the reasons why he was actually acquired. He's a young defenseman with a lot of upside. We really like his offensive game, we like his offensive instincts. We know he has an opportunity to grow on the defensive side of the puck, and we're going to do our very best to help him there."
Sullivan said that he had a conversation with Smith after the decision was made and he made sure Smith knew that he could earn his way back onto the Penguins' roster.
"Our message to him was just because a decision like this was made right now, doesn't mean it's etched in stone," Sullivan said. "Performance matters, just like it does with all of our players. What's important from his standpoint is that he controls what's within his control. ... We're really excited about the prospects of him being a Pittsburgh Penguin."
Taylor Haase / DKPS
MORE FROM PRACTICE
• Teddy Blueger was absent from practice after previously practicing with the team in a non-contact jersey on Sunday. Sullivan said that Blueger's status remains the same, and that he didn't skate on Monday but did work out with the medical staff.
• The Penguins used these lines and pairings:
Jake Guentzel - Sidney Crosby - Rickard Rakell
Jason Zucker - Evgeni Malkin - Bryan Rust
Danton Heinen - Jeff Carter - Kasperi Kapanen
Brock McGinn - Ryan Poehling - Josh Archibald
Brian Dumoulin - Kris Letang
Marcus Pettersson - Jeff Petry
P.O Joseph/Chad Ruhwedel/Jan Rutta
• Joseph, Ruhwedel and Rutta all rotated equally on that last defense pairing, with each player taking turns with the other two. No way of knowing yet who the odd man out might be. Of those three, Joseph is left-handed, and both Ruhwedel and Rutta shoot right. When Ruhwedel and Rutta took turns together, it was Ruhwedel on his off side.
• The first power play unit was Kris Letang, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust.
• The second power play unit was Jeff Petry, Jason Zucker, Danton Heinen, Jeff Carter and Rickard Rakell.
• Sullivan said that Ruhwedel has been a "great pro" through the challenge of being one of nine defensemen competing for six spots in training camp.
"He just plays within himself," Sullivan said. "There's a certain trustworthiness and reliability to his game. He's played some really good hockey for us in the time that he's been here. He's been a big part of this group and the success that it's enjoyed. Certainly in my time here, he's a terrific teammate. Chad just controls what he can. When he gets the nod to go in the lineup, he plays a solid game for us. And if he's not in the lineup, he makes sure that he does what he needs to do both in practice and in the weight room to make sure he keeps himself ready. That's one of the things that we really admire about him."
• Kasperi Kapanen was working with the penalty kill in practice, and we've seen him get more shorthanded ice time in games as the preseason progressed. Sullivan said that he thinks Kapanen "could potentially thrive" on the penalty kill.
"We felt as though we're trying to find ways to help Kappy capture his very best game," Sullivan said. "When he was in Toronto, he killed penalties for them. When he came here, we deployed him differently. He got more power-play time, things of that nature. So we're trying to find minutes for him if he's not on the first power play unit, for example. We're trying to find minutes for him where we give him the opportunity to do what he does best. We're trying to set Kappy up for success. But we've also lost some guys (on the penalty kill) and we're looking to replace guys. We're hopeful that we can utilize Kappy's speed and his talent level to help us become the penalty kill that we want to become, and that being one of pressure."
