Penguins call up Pierre-Olivier Joseph after two players are added to Covid protocol.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are once again dealing with the National Hockey League's Covid protocols.

On Sunday the Penguins reported that both defenseman Marcus Pettersson and defenseman Chad Ruhwedel were added to the league's Covid protocol list, presumably making them unavailable, at least in the short term.

It's especially disappointing news for Marcus Pettersson who was off to a strong start for the Penguins this season, picking up a goal and 3 assists for 4 points through the first 8 games of the season, and boasts a plus minus rating of +7. He's done that while playing a significant role for the Penguins on the blue line, eating up over 18 minutes of ice time a night.

Ruhwedel plays slightly fewer minutes that Pettersson with just over 15 minutes a night on average this season, but he's also been an important role player for the Penguins this season. Ruhwedel had appeared in every game this season prior to today's news, with no points and a plus minus rating of +2 through his first 8 games of the season.

If either player is confirmed to have tested positive for Covid, they will need 2 consecutive negative tests before they will be eligible to return to play as per the league's rules. The good news here for the Penguins is that they are in the middle of a significant layoff, with the next game on their schedule being a matchup this coming Thursday against interstate rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers. This should in theory give both Ruhwedel and Pettersson extra time to recover, hopefully mitigating the amount of actual game time they might miss as a result of today's news.

With both men out, the Penguins have called up a defenseman from the American Hockey League, and this time it is defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph who will get the call. The former Arizona Coyotes first round pick has had a solid showing this season in the AHL with the Penguins' affiliate team the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. He has 3 points, all assists, over his first 6 games this season and currently boasts a plus minus rating of +3.

Joseph previously appeared in 16 games for the Penguins last season, but has yet to make his season debut.