Penguins confirm news on veteran defenseman amid push to get back into playoff race

Placing defenseman Dmitri Samorukov on waivers Monday, after he cleared Tuesday, the Pittsburgh Penguins have assigned him to their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, and have subsequently activated Pierre-Olivier Joseph off the injured reserve, per a team announcement. Being placed on the injured reserve with an undisclosed injury dating back to Nov. 18, Joseph has not played in a game since the team’s route against the San Jose Sharks on Nov. 4.

Given that he is returning from injury, Joseph will likely slot into the Penguins’ bottom pairing alongside John Ludvig. Although he is a much better internal option on the blue line compared to Samorukov, Joseph will not be a factor in improving the team’s current offensive struggles on the powerplay.

Last season, in what has been his best to date, Joseph scored five goals and 21 points on the back end, also carrying an impressive oiSV% of 91.5%. With a 3-4-3 record in the last 10 games, the Penguins find themselves six points out of a postseason spot in the Eastern Conference and will need all hands on deck to get back into the playoff race.

Other injury notes:

• The San Jose Sharks announced Tuesday they have placed defenseman Matt Benning on the injured reserve. Dealing with a lower-body injury, Benning has been out of the lineup since the team’s game against the New York Rangers on Dec. 3. Already starting the season with limited depth as an organization, Benning joins a growing list of Sharks on the injured reserve, making him the sixth player overall currently.
• Retroactive to Dec. 2, the New York Islanders have placed depth forward Matt Martin on the injured reserve with an upper-body injury. This will now be the third time this season that Martin has been placed on the IR, having missed stretches in both October and November. In only 14 games played this season, Martin has one goal and two points, only maintaining approximately eight and a half minutes of ice time per game.
• Already confirmed to be out of the lineup in Tuesday night’s matchup against the Edmonton Oilers, Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Seth Jones received X-rays during the team’s game against the Washington Capitals on Sunday. Although there has been no official update on the status of Jones, team doctors indicated that he was only feeling a "little sore" and should be able to make it back to the lineup after the team’s road trip, per NHL.com's  Tracey Myers.
• Although he is still on the team’s injured reserve due to an illness, Brian Hedger for the Columbus Dispatch reports that Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins returned to practice with the team Tuesday. Largely the most competent goalie on the Blue Jackets this season, Merzlikins holds a 6-8-4 record in 19 starts, carrying a .910 SV% and a 3.10 GAA.