Penguins assign Vinnie Hinostroza, Ryan Shea to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
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The Pittsburgh Penguins assigned forward Vinnie Hinostroza and defenseman Ryan Shea to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League on Tuesday.
These transactions allowed the team to formally activate forward Bryan Rust from long-term injured reserve.
Hinostroza (Dec. 16) and Shea (Dec. 19) each cleared waivers recently, allowing them to be sent to the AHL club.
In 14 NHL games this season, Hinostroza has scored three points (one goal, two assists) while averaging 9:45 of ice time per contest. With Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Hinostroza has appeared in five games and scored four points (two goals, two assists).
Shea has played in 22 NHL games this season with no points while averaging 12:28 of ice time per contest. At the AHL level, he has played in four games with no points.
Both players are signed to one-year contracts that each carry a salary cap hit of $775,000.
Rust has missed the past 10 games due to an undisclosed injury.
In a corresponding transaction, forward Matt Nieto was transferred from regular injured reserve to long-term injured reserve. This maneuver allows the Penguins to remain compliant with the NHL’s salary cap ceiling by relieving them of some of Nieto’s cap figure of $900,000.
Sidelined since suffering an injury Dec. 2, Nieto has missed 13 games and already exceeded the 10-day and 24-day requirement for a designation to long-term injured reserve, meaning he can rejoin the active roster at any time.
That said, Penguins coach Mike Sullivan labeled Nieto’s status as “longer term” when asked about his recovery following a morning skate at PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday.