Merzlikins was moved to IR yesterday to open up a roster spot for a call-up but was activated on Friday and will serve as J-F Berube's backup in Carolina. Merzlikins' playing time could be a little bit limited moving forward, as long as Berube is playing as well as he has been lately.
Werenski is day-to-day with an upper-body injury and did not travel with the club on their two-game road trip in Florida/Carolina. Gabriel Carlsson is expected to replace Werenski in the lineup on Thursday.
Merzlikins was at practice on Wednesday and travelled with the team to Florida and was expected to start on this road trip. It's unclear if he suffered a setback or if this is just a move to create a spot to call up Jake Christiansen. The move is retroactive, so he's eligible to be activated for tomorrow's game if he's ready to start.
Merzlikins left Saturday's practice with a lower-body injury and will not be available for Sunday's game vs. the Sabres. With Joonas Korpisalo also hurt, J-F Berube will get the start for Columbus.
Gaunce and Trey Fix-Wolansky will make their Blue Jackets debuts on Tuesday with both Eric Robinson and Emil Bemstrom unavailable. Gaunce was a first-round pick of the Canucks in 2012 and has 16 points (6G / 10A) in 118 career NHL games with Vancouver and Boston. He leads Cleveland in goals (16) and points (28) in 39 AHL games this season.
Fabbro missed six games with an upper-body injury but is set to play Tuesday vs. the Canucks. Fabbro re-enters the lineup with one goal and 10 assists (11 points) in 35 games this season.
With Aston-Reese unavailable vs. Winnipeg, look for Brian Boyle to replace him in the Penguins' bottom-6.
Sillinger missed three games while in COVID-19 protocol but will likely be available for Sunday's game vs. the Senators. Sillinger has tallied six goals and seven assists (13 points) in his first 35 career NHL games.
Aston-Reese has missed the last four games while n COVID-19 protocol but is expected to be back in the lineup on Thursday. While he's officially listed as a game-time decision, expect him to be back on a line with Teddy Bluger and Brock McGinn.
