The Pittsburgh Penguins recalled forward Emil Bemstrom from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League ahead of Friday’s game at the New York Rangers.
Bemstrom, through 37 AHL games, is Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s leading scorer, with 19 goals and 22 assists.
This season, the 25-year-old was named an AHL All-Star.
The roster move comes as captain Sidney Crosby’s status remains uncertain for puck drop at Madison Square Garden.
The Penguins reassigned forward Jesse Puljujarvi to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Wednesday, creating a need for an extra forward.
Crosby is nursing a suspected arm injury that caused him to miss some game time Tuesday vs. New Jersey, as well as practice the following day.
On Thursday, Crosby returned to practice but partook in an individual capacity, missing out on the Penguins’ routine line rushes and power-play work.
Following the session, coach Mike Sullivan indicated that injury evaluations were still being performed on Crosby, with a clearer picture as to his status vs. the Rangers being potentially available Friday.
In Crosby’s absence, one of his usual wingers, Rickard Rakell, was deputized as center of the Penguins’ first line, with Anthony Beauvillier joining Bryan Rust on the wings.
Friday represents Bemstrom’s first call-up to the NHL club this season.
Acquired last February from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Alex Nylander, Bemstrom played 24 games for the Penguins, scoring three goals with two assists in 8 minutes, 47 seconds of nightly ice time.
Bemstrom, used mainly in a bottom-six capacity, was absent from the lineup three times as a healthy scratch as the season approached its conclusion.
A veteran of 228 NHL games, 204 of which came with Columbus in parts of five seasons between 2019-24, Bemstrom has scored 34 career goals with 40 assists.
The Nykoping, Sweden, native carries a salary cap hit of $775,000 through 2024-25.