With Kris Letang suspended and Bryan Rust injured, the Pittsburgh Penguins have reached into the farm to fill their defensive ranks. Up comes Tom Sestito, veteran of 141 NHL games over an eight-year career, and former Capitals prospect Steve Oleksy.
Oleksy played 62 regular-season swag-filled games for the Capitals between 2013 and 2015, scoring 3 goals and 16 assists. In 2013, he added playoff games, his only postseason experience. In the summer of 2015, Oleksy was signed by the Penguins but has yet to suit up for a game.
Oleksy is a surprisingly strong depth defenseman. Relative to the rest of the 2013 Capitals, Oleksy had a positive possession swing of 1.88 percent. Sestito, on the other hand, has been a garbage fire, depressing possession by more than 8 percent in 140 NHL games for 4 different teams.
As much as I love Oleksy, I’d rather see Sestito get the sweater.
From the Penguins:
The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled forward Tom Sestito and defenseman Steve Oleksy from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League, it was announced today by executive vice president and general manager Jim Rutherford.
Sestito, 28, played in four NHL regular-season games with Pittsburgh this year, tallying an assist against the Washington Capitals on April 7.
The 6-foot-5, 228-pound Sestito had two assists in three games for WBS during its first-round sweep of the Providence Bruins. During the regular season, Sestito had 14 points (5G-9A) in 41 games with WBS.
A native of Rome, New York, Sestito played one NHL playoff game with the Vancouver Canucks during the 2013 postseason.
Oleksy, 30, has been recalled by the Penguins on several instances this season. He is looking to make his Pittsburgh debut.
A 6-foot, 190-pound righthanded-shooting blueliner, Oleksy registered one assist in three games for WBS in Round 1. During the regular season, Oleksy had 19 points (2G-17A) and was plus-8 in 63 games with WBS.
Olesky, who hails from Chesterfield, Michigan, has logged all of his previous NHL experience with the Washington Capitals. He had 19 points (3G-16A) in 62 regular-season contests and one helper in seven playoff games as a Capital.