The Pittsburgh Penguins activated defenseman Erik Karlsson from injured reserve Thursday, a handful of hours before a road contest against the Edmonton Oilers.
In a corresponding transaction, defenseman Ryan Graves was placed on injured reserve due to an undisclosed injury.
The team announced each maneuver via a social media posting. There was no immediate word as to Karlsson’s status for Thursday’s contest.
Karlsson, a right-handed shot, has missed the past five games due to his unspecified malady. Appearing in 44 games this season, Karlsson is the team’s leading scorer among defensemen with 33 points (four goals, 29 assists) and leads the team’s non-goaltenders with an average ice time of 23:46 per contest.
The team initially announced Karlsson was placed on injured reserve Jan. 13 and would be reevaluated in two weeks. His recovery apparently required only nine days, however.
The left-handed Graves has played in 19 games this season and scored one goal, averaging 15:29 of ice time per contest while largely playing on the left side of the third pairing.