Penguins lose forward Radim Zohorna to Flames through waivers
Radim Zohorna began Monday as the Pittsburgh Penguins’ third-line center.
He will end the day as a member of the Calgary Flames.
The power forward was claimed by the Flames a day after the Penguins placed him on waivers. This transaction brings Zohorna’s intriguing but ultimately unfulfilled tenure with the Penguins to an end after two seasons.
“They just put me on waivers,” Zohorna said following Monday’s morning skate at the Penguins’ facility in Cranberry. “It means nothing right now. I just have to go the same way as I did (before) in camp. I’ll work hard and play the same way.”
Undrafted, the 6-foot-6, 220-pound native of Czechia was signed as an unrestricted free agent by the Penguins in April of 2020 and made his North American debut during the 2020-21 season, primarily playing for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League.
Capable of playing either center or wing, the 26-year-old appeared in 17 NHL games last season and scored six points (two goals, four assists) while averaging 10 minutes, 20 seconds of ice time last season. With Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Zohorna played in 29 games and scored 12 points (12 goals, nine assists).
In three games this preseason, Zohorna had no points, three shots and six penalty minutes.
“I didn’t have bad games,” Zohorna said. “But I haven’t scored a goal, or I haven’t had a point. That’s a big thing for me, I think. I had a couple of chances or have a point. It’s not bad, not good.”
In the second year of a two-year contract that carries a salary cap hit of $750,000, the league minimum, Zohorna must clear waivers in order to be assigned to a minor-league affiliate.
“We’re at the point where it’s all about hockey decisions right now, and we’re trying to field the very best team,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said following Monday’s morning skate. “And performance matters. I think (Zohorna) has played extremely well throughout the course of this training camp.
“When you’re getting down the final roster spots, these decisions are very difficult.”
During Monday’s morning skate in advance of a road preseason game against the Detroit Red Wings, Zohorna served as the Penguins’ third-line center with incumbents Jeff Carter and Teddy Blueger absent because of undisclosed injuries. It is not clear how the Penguins may adjust their lineup for the contest in the wake of Zohorna’s departure.
Forwards Drake Caggiula, Alex Nylander, defenseman Xavier Ouellet and goaltender Dustin Tokarski cleared waivers and were able to report to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Note: The Penguins’ regular-season game against the Red Wings on March 28 was rescheduled for 7 p.m. Previously, it was slated to start at 7:30 p.m.
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.