Penguins place Emil Bemstrom on waivers

The Pittsburgh Penguins have waived center Emil Bemstrom, according to PuckPedia.

Through 13 appearances with the Penguins this season, Bemstrom has recorded one assist, though the majority of his playing time has come with the AHL affiliated Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins where through 43 outings he has registered 21 goals and 25 assists to sit third in team scoring with 46 points. For his efforts this season, Bemstrom earned a spot in the AHL All-Star Game.

Originally chosen in the fourth round of the 2017 NHL Draft by the Metropolitan Division rival Columbus Blue Jackets, Bemstrom was dealt to the Penguins in February 2024 in exchange for fellow forward Alex Nylander plus a conditional sixth-round selection in the 2026 NHL Draft. In July, the Penguins signed Bemstrom to a one-year extension worth $775,000 per season, according to PuckPedia. Bemstrom is eligible to become a restricted free agent this coming offseason.

In all, through 241 career contests split between the Blue Jackets and Penguins, the 25-year-old Swedish-born forward has totaled 34 goals and 41 assists for 75 points. With the Blue Jackets in 2022-23, Bemstrom reached a career-high 22 points counting seven goals and 15 assists coming in 55 games. Bemstrom has also made five appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

At the AHL level, Bemstrom has totaled 76 games over four seasons with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and the Cleveland Monsters in which he has amassed 47 goals and 46 assists for 93 career points.

In 2019, Bemstrom represented Sweden at the World Juniors, putting up four goals and two assists for six points in five games.

For the Penguins, on the season the club sits 30-34-11 and six points shy of the Montreal Canadiens for the second wildcard seed in the Eastern Conference. The Penguins have not qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of the past two seasons, while the club’s last playoff round win came in 2018 over the rival Philadelphia Flyers.