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The Pittsburgh Penguins have already made two trades this season in hopes of turning around a disappointing start.
On Wednesday, Pittsburgh’s front office made a move to try and do the same for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
The Penguins swung a four-player deal with the Ottawa Senators involving all minor-league players, sending forward Tobias Lindberg and defenseman Stefan Elliott and receiving forward Ben Sexton and defenseman Macoy Erkamps.
In a separate move involving Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Ottawa’s farm team, the Belleville Senators, the Penguins acquired forward Ryan Scarfo in exchange for future considerations.
All three players are set to report to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Sexton, 27, was an alternate captain for Belleville this season, recording nine points — all assists — in 17 games. He is in his fifth pro season and made his NHL debut last season, appearing in two games for Ottawa. The 5-foot-11, 196-pounder can play both center and wing and had 21 points (10 goals, 11 assists) in 30 games with Belleville last season.
Erkamps, 23, has 57 games of AHL experience on his resume but had spent all of this season down a level in the ECHL with the Brampton Beast, recording a goal and five assists in 21 games. He checks in at 6-foot, 196 pounds.
Scarfo, 24, is a former college teammate of Penguins defenseman Jeff Taylor at Union, who is in his first full year as a pro. He had joined Belleville last season at the end of his college career and has split time between the AHL and ECHL this fall.
On the way out is a veteran defenseman in Elliott and a fourth-line winger in Lindberg.
Elliott, 27, who has played off and on in the NHL during his career, had been in and out of the lineup because of the veteran limit. He had one goal and seven assists this season.
Lindberg, 23, has bounced around in his career and is heading back to the organization that drafted him. Pittsburgh had originally acquired him from the Vegas Golden Knights in last winter’s three-team trade involving Derick Brassard and Ryan Reaves, but he remained playing on loan for the Chicago Wolves in the AHL.
But Lindberg signed a deal with Pittsburgh in the offseason and suited up for 15 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, recording two goals and four assists.
The Penguins return to the ice on Friday for their first home game since Nov. 25, hosting Cleveland for the first time in nearly a decade. Puck drop is 7:05 p.m. for the Penguins, who are looking to rebound from a stretch of seven losses in eight games that has seen them drop toward the bottom of the division standings.