The Pittsburgh Penguins have invited journeyman forward Chuck Kobasew to training camp on a professional try out, the club announced on Tuesday.
Kobasew, 31, spent last season in Colorado, scoring nine points in 37 games while averaging over 11 minutes per night.
A veteran of 10 NHL campaigns, Kobasew will be an interesting participant to watch at Pens camp.
In his prime, he was a 20-goal scorer that could log around 15 minutes a night and play on a second line in a pinch (his best season, the 2008-09 campaign in Boston, saw him score 21 goals and 42 points in 68 games for the B’s.)
In the later stages of his career, he’s morphed into more of a penalty-killing/checking type. He was fourth among all Avalanche forwards in shorthanded time on ice per game last year (1:46).
Pittsburgh head coach Dan Bylsma has said there are two forward spots up for grabs this preseason, so it’s clear Kobasew is in attendance as more than a warm body. He’ll be pushing the likes of Joe Vitale, Tanner Glass and Matt D’Agostini for bottom-six minutes.