Penguins place Riikola, Sceviour on waivers

NEWARK, N.J. — The Penguins placed defenseman Juuso Riikola and forward Colton Sceviour on waivers Saturdaymorning.

The moves also could be used to open up salary cap space ahead of Monday’s 3 p.m. trade deadline or simply to create roster flexibility to activate players off of injured reserve.

If no one claims one or both of the players, the Penguins can reassign them to the taxi squad or their American Hockey League affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Players on the taxi squad or in the minors do not count against the salary cap.

Sceviour, who turns 32 on Sunday, is in the final year of his deal, which carries a salary cap hit of $1.2 million. Riikolais signed through 202122 on a deal that carries a $1.15 million hit.

Acquired this offseason in the Patric Hornqvist- Mike Matheson trade, Sceviour has been in and out of the lineup all season. A grinder bottomsix player, he has appeared in 31 games and netted his third goal of the season during Friday night’s win against the Devils. As the Penguins forward corps gets healthier and players like Radim Zohorna and Frederick Gaudreau emerge, playing time would be even tougher to come by for Sceviour.

Riikola, meanwhile, is a somewhat more noteworthy move – but not altogether surprising. His advanced metrics are promising, especially last season when he was on the ice for 58% of the expected goals over 36 games. And he has some raw skills, notably his cannon of a left-handed shot.

But the 27-year-old Finnish defensemen never seemed to earn the coaching staff’s trust to garner regular minutes, appearing in just two games this season. Riikola was presented witha golden opportunity this year to establish himself, when the left side of the blue line was decimated by injury.

However, he got injured too justone game later.

By the time Riikola returned, not only were the rest of the defensemen healthy, but the Penguins had claimed Mark Friedman off waivers. While Friedman is righthanded, he feels more comfortable on that left side. That essentially made Riikola the fifth left-handed defenseman onthe depth chart.

If Riikola is not claimed, he’ll continue to have a tough path to the ice this season and beyond. The Penguins best prospect, Pierre-Olivier Joseph, is also left-handed. While he’s not yet ready for regular minutes in the NHL, he’s not far off.