The Pittsburgh Penguins moved quickly on Wednesday to reshape their active roster, activating forward Justin Brazeau from injured reserve while sending Elmer Söderblom to the injured list in a corresponding transaction.
The club also reassigned forward Avery Hayes and defenseman Chase Pietila to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League, creating additional flexibility under the salary cap and roster limits.
Brazeau’s return offers a potential lift after a slow start to the 2026-27 season. The New Liskeard, Ontario, native arrived in Pittsburgh on a two-year, $3 million contract last summer and quickly established himself as a useful depth scorer.
He produced 17 goals and 34 points in 64 games, often skating alongside Anthony Mantha and Benjamin Kindel on the third line while logging a little more than 12 minutes a night.
A lower-body injury suffered in the preseason has kept him out of the first 12 games this year, following an earlier stretch of 18 games missed in 2025-26.
Team officials indicated he would begin a conditioning stint with the AHL club before rejoining the NHL lineup.
The corresponding placement of Söderblom on injured reserve stems from an upper-body issue that surfaced earlier in the week.
The big Swedish winger had been logging meaningful minutes while several regulars were unavailable, and the Penguins expect him to miss only a short stretch.
With a gap in the schedule, he becomes eligible to return as soon as Saturday after sitting out just one contest.
Those two demotions also open roster spots that could be filled as soon as Thursday.
Practice reports from the past two days have fueled optimism that defenseman Samuel Girard, dealing with an undisclosed injury, and forward Benjamin Kindel, recovering from a vasovagal episode, may both be ready for the home game against the Utah Mammoth.
Kindel had already returned to the ice and reported feeling normal, while Girard’s status remained under closer evaluation.
At 5-6-1, the Penguins enter Thursday’s matchup looking for consistency after an overtime win over Nashville.
Adding Brazeau’s size and finishing ability, while potentially restoring Girard and Kindel, would give the forward group more depth at a time when injuries have thinned the lineup.
How quickly the reassigned players clear and whether the two possible activations materialize will determine the exact group that takes the ice against Utah.
