Aho, 24, spent all of 2020 in the AHL, where he led all Bridgeport defensemen with 30 points (3G / 27A) in 49 games. Aho is undersized (5-11, 177) but he's a terrific puck-mover and is not afraid to jump into the rush to create offence. He is a candidate to graduate to the NHL in 2021 but he's blocked by a bunch of high-paid veteran defensemen on the depth chart.
With Jarry getting re-signed that indicates that RFA Matt Murray may have played his last game with the Penguins. Jarry gets the three-year extension at a very reasonable cap-hit (24th among goalies for 2021) and will likely be backed up by Casey DeSmith next season. We could see a Murray trade on the draft floor on Tuesday or Wednesday. Jarry was 20-12-1 with a 2.43 GAA, .921 SV% and three shutouts in 2020.
Crosby has been absent since getting hurt in Monday's scrimmage game. He skated on his own prior to their scrimmage on Thursday but was deemed "unfit to play." On Friday he joined his teammates for practice, which is a good sign that he'll be available for Game 1 vs. the Montreal Canadiens.
Crosby was left Saturday's scrimmage early and did not take part in Monday's intrasquad game. It's unclear how serious his injury is at this time but the Penguins' first playoff game isn't for 11 more days, so he has ample time to get back to 100 percent.
Nashville selected Novak all the way back in 2015 as a third-round pick. After finished his four years at the University of Minnesota, Novak joined the Predators AHL affiliate in Milwaukee where he eared an NHL contract by finishing second on the team in assists (31) and third in points (42) in 60 games.
Clifton has been out since December 29th but he will play Tuesday in Philadelphia with Torey Krug and Brandon Carlo both out with upper-body injuries. Clifton skated with Matt Grzelcyk in Monday's practice and comes into Tuesday's game with just two goals in 30 games.
Heinen's production continues to trend downward after his 47-point campaign in 2017-18. He has just seven goals and 15 assists through 58 games this season.The 24-year-old carries a $2.8M cap hit through the 2020-21 season.
