The Pittsburgh Penguins plucked defenseman Declan Carlile off the Tampa Bay Lightning’s blue line this past offseason as an unrestricted free agent with the hope he could thrive with more opportunity than he had enjoyed previously in his career.
Pittsburgh Penguins coach Dan Muse defended defenseman Declan Carlile following criticism over his late-game play during Tuesday's 3-2 home loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. Carlile was on the ice when Tomas Hertl scored the winning short-handed goal with 35 seconds remaining, but Muse argued that blaming the young defenseman overlooks his positive contributions and development in high-leverage penalty-killing situations.
Signed as an unrestricted free agent from the Tampa Bay Lightning, Carlile has recorded five points across 15 games this season while averaging 18:52 of ice time. Meanwhile, forward Evgeni Malkin returned to practice in a full-contact capacity Wednesday after missing Tuesday's game with an undisclosed injury and is expected to be available against the Boston Bruins.
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