Golden Knights acquire forward from Penguins
The Golden Knights made their second trade before Friday’s NHL deadline, acquiring another forward to bolster their depth Wednesday.
The Knights acquired center Teddy Blueger from the Pittsburgh Penguins for a 2024 third-round pick and defense prospect Pete DiLiberatore.
Blueger, 28, has two goals and eight assists in 45 games this season. He was on the Penguins’ fourth line in their most recent game. He’s a pending unrestricted free agent with a $2.2 million cap hit.
Pittsburgh gave Blueger a lot of defensive responsibility. He was the Penguins’ most-used forward on the penalty kill, and started a higher percentage of his shifts in the defensive zone than any other player on the team.
Blueger gives the banged-up Knights more help up front. Captain Mark Stone is out indefinitely after undergoing back surgery Jan. 31. Fourth-line center Nicolas Roy is set to miss his fourth consecutive game Wednesday with a lower-body injury. Coach Bruce Cassidy said Roy hasn’t resumed skating yet.
DiLiberatore, 22, was the Knights’ sixth-round pick in 2018. He has three assists in 22 games in the American Hockey League this season, and three assists in 18 games in the ECHL.
The Knights added a forward Sunday, trading 2021 first-round pick Zach Dean to the St. Louis Blues for left wing Ivan Barbashev.
The team still has approximately $5.07 million in spending power before the deadline at noon Friday.
Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.