Penguins' Noel Acciari: Could have played in postseason

Acciari clarified Thursday that he suffered a glute injury but would have been ready for the postseason after avoiding surgery, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Acciari missed the final 12 games of the Penguins' season due to his glute injury. On the year, the 32-year-old center managed just seven points in 55 games, his lowest total since 2016-17 when he was in action for only 29 contests for the Bruins. Acciari figures to be locked into a bottom-six role for the Penguins next season, and he might even find himself a healthy scratch periodically if he continues to struggle offensively.