The comeback attempt of 41-year old defenseman Sergei Gonchar looks like it has hit a major road block.
Gonchar, who was attempting a comeback with the Pittsburgh Penguins, was released Saturday from his tryout contract.
For Gonchar the question is now whether or not he showed enough in preseason action that another team will take a shot on him. If not, it all but likely brings an end to a lengthy and successful NHL career.
Gonchar showed some glimpses during the preseason in the offensive zone as the veteran showed he could still do some things with the puck. But Gonchar struggled in the defensive zone at times, which all but likely ended up in his release.
He played 1,301 career games and recorded 811 points during his NHL career. In his prime, Gonchar was outstanding on the power play, mostly for the Penguins and Washington Capitals.
In addition to releasing Gonchar, the Penguins announced some other roster moves on Saturday.
Most notably the team sent 2012 first-round pick Derrick Pouliot to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. That means the team will open with eight defensemen in: Kris Letang, Olli Maatta, Ian Cole, Brian Dumoulin, Adam Clendening, Rob Scuderi, Ben Lovejoy and Tim Erixon.
In addition to the demotion of Pouliot, the team sent center Jean-Sebastian Dean and winger Bryan Rust to WBS along with placing center Kevin Porter and defenseman David Warsofsky on waivers.
Photo Credit: Associated Press
