Penguins Place Kasperi Kapanen on IR, Recall Drew O’Connor

The Pittsburgh Penguins did some late afternoon paperwork on Saturday. The team placed winger Kasperi Kapanen on IR retroactive to March 24, when Kapanen was injured by absorbing Buffalo Sabres defenseman Brandon Montour’s clearing attempt.

To fill Kapanen’s spot, the Penguins recalled rookie forward Drew O’Connor from the taxi squad. They promoted Jordy Bellerive and Josh Currie to the taxi squad from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

This season, Kapanen has burst into the Penguins lineup after the team acquired him from the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 24-year-old winger has 21 points (7g, 14a) in 30 games. He and fellow IR inhabitant Evgeni Malkin were on a hot streak before both were injured one game apart.

Currie has 22 games of NHL experience, including one game this season with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

O’Connor was an undrafted free agent the Penguins signed from Dartmouth University. He played nine NHL games before being demoted and scored one-assist. He has not yet scored his first NHL goal. O’Connor played six games with the WBS Penguins and scored five points, including three goals.

Bellerive was also an undrafted free agent. He played junior hockey for the Lethbridge Hurricanes and was a teammate of former Penguins second-round pick Calen Addison. Bellerive earned a contract after an impressive rookie camp in 2017.

He made his professional debut with WBS in 2018-19. This season, Bellerive has nine points (6g, 3a) in 12 games. He also has 30 PIMs.

The Pittsburgh Penguins face the New York Islanders at PPG Paints Arena Saturday at 7 p.m. Get the PHN game preview and Penguins lines. The Penguins games on Saturday and Monday are the final two this season against the Islanders. The Penguins are 4-2-0 against New York.

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