Former Penguins Hit the Waiver Wire (and a Bit of Wistful Reminiscing)

A bit of a mish-mash post ahead of the Penguins-Senators exhibition game in Halifax Monday night.

Speaking of the Sens, Kyle Dubas has hired former Ottawa assistant GM Trent Mann to serve as a player development and scouting advisor. I’d like to think the 50-year-old exec, who spent the past dozen years serving in various posts with the Sens, had some say in drafting their uber-talented core, which includes young studs such as Drake Batherson, Thomas Chabot, Shane Pinto, Jake Sanderson, Tim Stützle and Brady Tkachuk.

Jumping the gun a bit, perhaps Mann will do the same for our Pens…a ways down the road, of course.

Ex-Pens on Waivers

A handful of former Pens were placed on waivers recently. They include goalie Dustin Tokarski (Sabres) and forwards Anthony Angello (Predators), Josh Currie (Senators), and Drake Caggiula and Greg McKegg (Oilers both).

Josh Archibald (Lightning), Mark Jankowski (Predators), and Jean-Sebastien Dea and Alex Galchenyuk (Coyotes) had previously cleared waivers for their respective clubs.

Hardly an all-star bunch, although I was always intrigued by Angello (pictured above), a 6’5” 210-pound power forward with wheels.

Now 27, the former fifth-round pick out of Cornell showed real promise at one time, notching 22 goals in 60 games spread over two seasons with the Baby Pens.

I felt like I’d received an impromptu birthday present on March 25, 2021, when Angello teamed with the “Big Z,” Radim Zohorna, on a speedy, big ‘n’ tall fourth line. The former set up a goal by the latter with a crisp backhand pass off the end boards late in the first period to pace a 4-0 black-and-gold victory over the Sabres.

I thought we’d stumbled upon something special, a duo that could give opponents fits due to their unique combination of size and speed.

Alas, it was not to be. After playing one more game together two nights later (a 6-3 win over the Islanders), Zohorna was returned to the Baby Pens. Despite tallying a goal and an assist (in typically limited ice time) over his next three games Angello, too, was demoted a short time later.

In a flash, a potentially imposing young fourth line went pffft.

Such is the way of things under Mike Sullivan. Kids reach a tipping point in their development, where a little support from their coach could go a long way, and they’re invariably shunted aside or buried altogether. Especially if they don’t fit the Sully mold. And sometimes even if they do (Valtteri Puustinen).

For the record, in the 31 games he skated for the Pens, Angello was on the ice for eight goals for and five against 5v5. Hardly a liability. He also dished out 77 hits in extremely limited ice time (7:13 ATOI), including a crushing but clean check on then-Ranger Tyler Motte that for all intents and purposes ended the big guy’s stay in the ‘burgh.

To be fair, Angello failed to hook on in his next two NHL stops as well, although the Albany native did catch fire with Milwaukee of the AHL last spring to the tune of seven goals in 17 games after the Preds acquired him from the Blues.

Perhaps there are elements missing from his game.

Still, I’m left to wonder what might have been had we showed a little faith in him.