Penguins Recall Ville Koivunen, Evgeni Malkin Day-To-Day

The Penguins announced that they’ve recalled winger Ville Koivunen from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. His elevation to the roster is connected with an upper-body injury to star Evgeni Malkin, whom the club said is day-to-day and has been ruled out for tonight’s game versus the Avalanche.

With Kevin Hayes not dressing for a contest since March 3, it appears Koivunen will slot right back into the lineup as Pittsburgh’s third-line left wing alongside Benjamin Kindel and Justin Brazeau. Anthony Mantha moves up to take Malkin’s place on the right flank on the second line with Egor Chinakhov and Thomas Novak, PuckPedia projects.

Koivunen had just been sent down to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Sunday before the Pens’ loss to the Hurricanes. He played for the Baby Pens that night, making him eligible to come back up to rejoin the NHL squad today.

The 22-year-old hasn’t had the season the Penguins hoped for, at least in the NHL. A second-round pick in 2021 by the Hurricanes, subsequently acquired in the Jake Guentzel deal a couple of years back, he’s been a downright elite producer in his native Finland and in the minors over the last few years. After notching seven assists through his first eight NHL contests last year as well, most had him penciled in for an opening night job.

Koivunen initially made the team but hasn’t stuck. He’s been recalled and sent down on a couple of occasions, most recently spending nearly two months in the minors before getting the call back to the NHL at the trade deadline. Across 33 games in Pittsburgh, he’s only averaging 12:38 of ice time per game with a 2-5–7 scoring line and a -5 rating. For a lanky 6’0″ winger with extremely limited physical involvement, if he’s not producing in a top-nine role, there’s little place for him in the lineup. Add in the immense success of Pittsburgh’s depth wingers this season, plus the Pens being outscored 14-10 with him on the ice at 5-on-5, and it’s no surprise that Koivunen hasn’t seen a ton of action lately.

He hasn’t let the lack of an NHL breakthrough this season affect his play in the minors one bit, though. After an All-Rookie Team worthy showing last season, he’s now clicking over a point per game in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton with an 11-22–33 line in 29 games and a +7 rating. While his time on the roster is likely to last only as long as Malkin’s injury keeps him out, it’s still another chance for Koivunen to make a strong impression on Pittsburgh’s brass as a potential playoff option and to improve his standing entering next season’s training camp.

As for Malkin, it’s not clear what’s keeping him out. He wasn’t limited against the Canes, although he did struggle with a -2 rating in 16:05 of ice time. The lack of an apparent cause is more concerning than not – he missed nearly a month with an upper-body issue earlier in the season, so there’s a chance it’s a reaggravation or continuation of that issue.

The 39-year-old franchise icon remains invaluable, even as he’s been shifted off his natural center slot. His 52 points in 50 games this year are his best pace since before the pandemic and sit fifth on the team in scoring despite all the missed time. The Pens would surely prefer to rest him as much as possible to make sure he gets back to 100% before the playoffs, but with their chances at a favorable but still uncomfortable 77.3%, per MoneyPuck, they don’t have that luxury.