Prior to their home game against the Florida Panthers on Sunday, the Pittsburgh Penguins recalled goaltender Taylor Gauthier from Wheeling of the ECHL and forward Avery Hayes from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League (AHL).
The team announced both transactions shortly before warmups began and also revealed goaltender Stuart Skinner would not dress due to an undisclosed injury.
Serving as the backup for Saturday’s 9-4 home win against the Panthers, Skinner had a visible abrasion near his left eye, suggesting he might have suffered an injury while sitting on the bench during the contest.
The team has offered few subantive details as to Skinner’s status with regard to his health.
Gauthier was recalled to the NHL roster for the first time in his four-year career. Penguins management summoned him instead of one of the franchise’s more prominent goaltending prospects, Joel Blomqvist or Sergei Murashov, from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, as Skinner’s status was not certain until this morning.
With Wheeling being physically closer to Pittsburgh than Wilkes-Barre, Gauthier was added to the NHL roster as it was easier to get him to PPG Paints Arena in time by Sunday’s opening faceoff of 3:08 p.m..
Should Skinner be unavailable for any length of time, the Penguins are expected to recall Murashov on a more permanent basis.
Gauthier is expected to serve as the backup to rookie Arturs Silovs for Sunday’s game. The Wheeling Nailers’ all-time leader in goaltending wins, Gauthier has appeared in 33 ECHL games this season and has an 18-10-2 record, a 2.00 goals against average, a .932 save percentage and three shutouts.
On Saturday, Gauthier made 26 saves on 28 shots and guided the Nailers to a 4-2 road win against the Toledo Walleye.
A right-catching goaltender, Gauthier is signed to a one-year two-way contract with a salary cap hit of $775,000.
Hayes has been shuffled between the NHL and AHL roster repeatedly this season and was a healthy scratch on Saturday during Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s 6-2 road win against the rival Lehigh Valley Phantoms as a precaution for a potential recall.
In 13 NHL games this season, the right-handed Hayes has three goals while averaging 10:38 of ice time per contest.
At the AHL level, Hayes appeared in 40 games and scored 38 points (23 goals, 15 assists).
Hayes is in the first year of a two-year entry-level contract with a salary cap hit of $830,000.
In a separate transaction, the Penguins placed defenseman Caleb Jones on injured reserve. On Friday, the team announced he would miss the remainder ot the season due to a right shoulder injury that required surgery.