yardbarker
The Pittsburgh Penguins have officially activated defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk from injured reserve, the team announced. The right-shot blueliner had been sidelined for the past 14 games due to a lower-body injury he sustained on October 9.
Van Riemsdyk will have ample time to knock off rust, as Pittsburgh's next game is not until Thursday. His return to the lineup offers the 35-year-old his first opportunity to record a point this season; in five games before the injury, he posted zero points, a minus-one rating, and 10 shot blocks.
Despite the quiet stat line, van Riemsdyk played a prominent role, averaging 18:48 of ice time—his highest since the 2022-23 campaign. The majority of that time came alongside Penguins legend Kris Letang.
In the roughly one month since van Riemsdyk's absence, Letang has skated on pairings with Declan Carlile and Spencer Stastney. Neither duo has impressed: Letang and Carlile have been outscored 4-6, while Letang and Stastney have broken even with one goal for and one against.
Those underwhelming results could prompt the Penguins to reunite Letang and van Riemsdyk, leaving Stastney and Carlile to compete for the final lineup spot.
While his return will bring more stability to Pittsburgh's even-strength lines, van Riemsdyk's biggest impact will come on the penalty kill. He led the team with 3:10 in average short-handed ice time and successfully killed off 13 of his 14 penalty-kill situations before going down.
The Penguins had the third-best penalty kill in the league before van Riemsdyk's injury and have fallen to 19th since. That swing has accounted for 10 goals against, or an additional 0.71 goals-against per game.
Pittsburgh should see its fortunes turn back toward the positive with its top penalty-killer back in the fold. Since van Riemsdyk's injury, the Penguins have allowed the seventh-most goals per game (3.67), leading to a 2-3-2 record.
They will face an easier slate in upcoming games, with matchups against the St. Louis Blues, Nashville Predators, and Calgary Flames part of their next four contests.
Originally reported by yardbarker.