Bemstrom will not be qualified by the Penguins on Monday, Penguins play-by-play announcer Josh Getzoff reports, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Bemstrom saw action in 14 NHL games this past season in which he garnered just one assist, 13 shots and 12 hits while averaging 8:20 of ice time. Given his limited NHL opportunities last year, it shouldn't come as a surprise to see the Pens going in a different direction. The 26-year-old center will be free to sign with any NHL club when free agency opens Tuesday.
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Penguins' Emil Bemstrom: Returned to minors
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Bemstrom was reassigned to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Saturday, according to Dave Molinari of Pittsburgh Hockey Now.
Bemstrom has one assist in 14 NHL games this season. He has been stellar at the AHL level, collecting 21 goals and 46 points in 45 games with the Baby Pens.
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Penguins' Emil Bemstrom: Elevated from minors
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Bemstrom was promoted from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Thursday.
Bemstrom has logged 13 games for the Penguins this season, generating just one assist, 12 shots and 10 hits while averaging a career-low 8:20 of ice time. The addition of Bemstrom, along with fellow forwards Vasily Ponomarev and Valtteri Puustinen, under emergency conditions likely means that at least Rutger McGroarty (lower body) and possibly others won't be in the lineup against the Devils on Friday.
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Penguins' Emil Bemstrom: Demoted Thursday
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Bemstrom was reassigned to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Thursday, Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports reports.
Bemstrom was waived Monday and went unclaimed. He was scratched for Thursday's game versus the Blues, so it's no surprise that he'll head to the AHL with no clear path to playing time. The Penguins will likely use the rest of the regular season for prospect evaluation at the NHL level.
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Penguins' Emil Bemstrom: Lands on waivers
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Bemstrom was designated for waivers by the Penguins on Monday, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.
Bemstrom's placement on waivers may be simply a technical move that will allow him to be moved to the minors when the Penguins' season is over -- especially considering the Baby Pens have clinched a spot in the Calder Cup Playoffs. Still, if Bemstrom does get shifted down to the minors, it could be to make way for another young prospect to come up from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for an audition late in the season.
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Penguins' Emil Bemstrom: Good to go Tuesday
Rotowire
Bemstrom (undisclosed) will return to action versus Tampa Bay on Tuesday.
Bemstrom will occupy a bottom-six role following a three-game absence. He has earned one assist, 11 shots on goal and nine hits in 10 NHL outings this season. Bemstrom will replace Evgeni Malkin (upper body) in Tuesday's lineup.
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Penguins' Emil Bemstrom: Not playing Sunday
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Bemstrom (undisclosed) won't play against Florida on Sunday.
Bemstrom will miss his third straight game. He has contributed one assist, 11 shots on goal and nine hits in 10 NHL outings this season. Due to Bemstrom's absence, Joona Koppanen will remain in the lineup for Sunday's matchup.
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Penguins' Emil Bemstrom: Still out against Columbus
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Bemstrom (undisclosed) will not be an option to face the Blue Jackets on Friday, Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports reports.
Bemstrom will miss his second straight outing due to his lingering undisclosed injury. Without Bemstrom or Thomas Novak (lower body) in the lineup, the Penguins will continue to roll out Blake Lizotte and Joona Koppanen on the third line while Connor Dewar slots into a top-six role.
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Penguins' Emil Bemstrom: Unavailable Tuesday
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Bemstrom (undisclosed) won't be in the lineup versus the Islanders on Tuesday, Wes Crosby of NHL.com reports.
With Bemstrom and Thomas Novak (lower body) unavailable to play, Joona Koppanen will suit up versus the Islanders after joining Pittsburgh on Tuesday from the minors on an emergency basis. Bemstrom has one assist, 11 shots on goal and nine hits in 10 NHL outings this season.
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Penguins' Emil Bemstrom: Recalled by Pittsburgh
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Bemstrom was recalled from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Thursday.
Bemstrom will rejoin the NHL club after spending less than a week in the minors, and he'll provide additional depth after Michael Bunting (abdomen) was placed on injured reserve. Bemstrom has made just two appearances for Pittsburgh this year, and he's failed to record a point while averaging 12:14 of ice time.
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Penguins' Emil Bemstrom: Brought up from minors
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Bemstrom was called up from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Tuesday.
Bemstrom's promotion is no doubt in part due to the absence of Sidney Crosby, who is still with Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off. Unless there are several forwards who remain unavailable against Washington on Saturday, Bemstrom figures to serve as a healthy scratch -- assuming he is still on the NHL roster come puck drop.
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Penguins' Emil Bemstrom: Returns to minor-league club
Rotowire
Bemstrom was reassigned to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Saturday.
Bemstrom failed to record a point over two NHL outings during this stint. If the Penguins are healthier following the 4 Nations Face-Off, they likely won't need to call up Bemstrom again.
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Penguins' Emil Bemstrom: Placed on waivers
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Bemstrom was designated for waivers by the Penguins on Friday, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.
Bemstrom played in 24 games for the Penguins last season, and he tallied three goals, two assists and 12 hits while averaging just 8:47 of ice time. Given his 228 games of NHL experience, mostly with the Blue Jackets, the 25-year-old center could be a strong candidate to be snatched off the wire, especially considering his minimal $775,000 cap hit.
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Penguins' Emil Bemstrom: Staying put
Rotowire
Bemstrom (concussion) signed a one-year $775,000 with the Penguins on Monday.
Bemstrom became an unrestricted free agent after Pittsburgh declined to present him with a qualifying offer, but the two sides ended up agreeing to terms at the league minimum anyway. The 25-year-old had eight goals and 16 points in 56 contests between the Blue Jackets and the Penguins in 2023-24. If Bemstrom's healthy, he'll likely start the season in a bottom-six capacity.
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Penguins' Emil Bemstrom: Diagnosed with concussion
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Bemstrom suffered a concussion which sidelined him for the season finale against the Islanders on Wednesday, Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports reports.
Bemstrom will be a restricted free agent this offseason, so he'll likely be back with Pittsburgh for the 2024-25 campaign. In his 24 appearances with the Penguins this year, the 24-year-old center notched three goals and two assists while averaging a career-low 8:47 of ice time.
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Penguins' Emil Bemstrom: Ends goal drought
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Bemstrom scored a goal in the third period during Monday's 4-2 win over Nashville.
Bemstrom's ice time has plummeted -- he's averaging just under nine minutes per game on the season, but he has been at 5:35 or less for the last four games. Fantasy managers won't find much opportunity for depth production here. Still, it's nice to see the Bemstrom tally after going six games without a point and collecting just a single goal with two assists in the 22 games prior to Monday's contest. He now has eight goals and 16 points through 56 games between the Penguins and the Blue Jackets this season.
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Penguins' Emil Bemstrom: Dealt to Pittsburgh
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Bemstrom was traded from the Blue Jackets to the Penguins on Thursday in exchange for Alexander Nylander and a conditional sixth-round pick in 2026.
Bemstrom has 11 points in 32 contests for the Blue Jackets this season, giving him 69 points over 204 career NHL appearances. The 24-year-old winger has never really managed more than a bottom-six role, but the Penguins will bring him in with the hopes he can improve their scoring depth. Bemstrom will likely remain in a bottom-six role once he links up with Pittsburgh.
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Blue Jackets' Emil Bemstrom: Grabs helper in win
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Bemstrom posted an assist in Friday's 5-2 win over the Blues.
Bemstrom helped out on Adam Fantilli's go-ahead goal in the first period. Since he was recalled from AHL Cleveland earlier in the week, Bemstrom has three points over two appearances. The 24-year-old has an open trade request, but it's unlikely to be fulfilled while the Blue Jackets need him. He's produced seven points, 24 shots on net and a minus-5 rating through 14 NHL outings this season.
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Blue Jackets' Emil Bemstrom: Notches two points
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Bemstrom scored a goal on three shots and earned an assist in Thursday's 7-3 defeat to the Islanders.
Bemstrom broke out of a six-game goalless streak with his tally Thursday. If he continues to produce at a high level, he should avoid spending significant time in the minors and could top the career-best 22 points he put up last season.
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Blue Jackets' Emil Bemstrom: Hot start with AHL Cleveland
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Bemstrom has nine goals and 11 points in six games for AHL Cleveland since clearing waivers and being sent down by the Blue Jackets.
A fourth-round pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, Bemstrom has struggled to make an impact with Columbus, but the 24-year-old is too skilled to be in the minors -- in 31 career games for Cleveland, he's racked up 25 goals and 44 points. He might need a fresh start with another organization, but having already cleared waivers once, interest around the league would seem to be low. Per Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, Bemstrom will become a restricted free agent next summer.
