Penguins Sign Trio to PTOs

According to an announcement on TSN, the Penguins have signed three players…a forward and two defensemen…to professional tryout offers (PTOs).

I confess, when I first glimpsed the name of the forward (Austin Wagner) my mind tried to make it Austin Watson instead.

Wagner is a 6’1” 190-pound left wing who’s played in 178 NHL games, mostly for the Kings. Watson is a 6’4” 204-pound, body-banging forward with 482 big-league games on his resume, not to mention a tough-guy rep. Big difference, literally and figuratively. But I digress.

A fourth-round pick of the Kings in 2015, Wagner has scored as many as a dozen goals (in 62 games as an NHL rookie in 2018-19) although his role and ice time have diminished over time. Typical of many of the players Kyle Dubas has brought in since taking over.

While he’s no Watson (or hoped for invitee Tomáš Tatar), Wagner does play with some aggression (403 hits in 178 NHL games) and he’ll drop the gloves should the situation call for it, to modest effect.

As for the defensemen?

Mark Pysyk (pictured), a right-handed shot, may prove to be a savvy, high-reward invitee…if he’s healthy. A veteran of 521 NHL games, he’s 31, stands 6’1” and weighs in at 196 pounds. He’ll block shots and get in the way, but he’s not overly physical. Regarded as a good skater, although he’s recovering from a torn Achilles tendon that caused him to sit out all of last season.

Detroit Hockey Now described Pysyk as a “smart, two-way, useful defenseman.” JFresh gave him a 63 percent WAR (82 percent on even-strength defense) following the ’21-22 campaign.

Sounds a lot like the player he’ll be trying to displace, Chad Ruhwedel. It also sounds like Mark Friedman, currently on the Baby Pens’ roster, will be bumped further down the call-up food chain. No surprise, given that he’s the only rear guard in the organization who plays with an edge. Wish someone would explain to me in the Queen’s English why that’s frowned upon in these parts (ahem…Mike Sullivan), but again I digress.

The second defenseman, Libor Hájek, is a 25-year-old portsider and former second-round pick of the Lightning. He’s spent his entire five-year NHL career as a fringe defenseman while appearing in 110 games (all with the Rangers).

According to reports, Hájek skates well and has some size (listed at 6’2” 209). Practically a behemoth in Penguin terms. What the Czechia native doesn’t do is hit much (no surprise there) or produce much (a paltry four goals and 12 points for his NHL career). His projected overall WAR…4 percent.

Strictly a depth option if he makes it.

Dubas Adds to Staff

The Penguins have added five new members to their staff.

Former NHLers Mark Osiecki and Matt Lorito will serve as pro scouts. Robbie Sandland and Brandon DeFazio will work as amateur scouts. And Cam Charron, who served with Dubas in Toronto, slots in as a hockey research and development analyst.