- Penguins placed defenseman Sam Girard on injured reserve Saturday
- He hasn’t played since a Brett Howden trip sent him into the end boards last week
- Read below for what Pittsburgh’s blue line looks like without him
The Penguins are going to be without Sam Girard for a while.
Pittsburgh placed the defenseman on injured reserve Saturday and recalled forward Avery Hayes from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to fill the roster spot. Here’s the team’s announcement:
Girard got hurt midway through the second period of last Saturday’s 6-2 loss to the Golden Knights. He was racing back to cut off a potential breakaway when Vegas forward Brett Howden tripped him, and he slid hard into the end boards. He went to the locker room and never returned.
The Penguins listed him as day-to-day after that, and he skated on his own before Thursday’s morning skate. Head coach Dan Muse didn’t offer an update on his status afterward, and the IR move makes it clear this is more than a quick fix.
It’s a tough loss for a defense that had been getting real offense from him. Girard has a goal and six assists in nine games while averaging 18:44 a night. Ilya Solovyov has been slotting into the lineup in his place.
The injury bug has hit Pittsburgh across the roster. Bryan Rust went on IR Thursday and will be re-evaluated in about six weeks, which we covered when the Penguins made that move. Ben Kindel landed on IR the same day.
Hayes, 24, gets the call after a hot start in the AHL. He leads Wilkes-Barre/Scranton with five goals and nine points in six games and has a point in every game this season.
Girard is in the final year of a seven-year, $35 million contract that carries a $5 million cap hit, so he’ll be an unrestricted free agent next summer. Pittsburgh acquired him from Colorado at last season’s deadline in the Brett Kulak deal. The Penguins host Nashville on Saturday night and wrap up a three-game homestand against Utah on Thursday.
