Zach Aston-Reese used to be one of the best defensive forwards in the Pittsburgh Penguins system.

When Zach Aston-Reese was a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins, he was one of the best defensive forwards in the NHL.

The Penguins utilized him him in a number of situations on the defensive side of the puck and he built a solid pedigree as a depth forward.

Aston-Reese had a career year in goal scoring last season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, putting up 10 in 77 games played.

Despite the increase in offense and setback in defense (he was a minus-six), Aston-Reese still has what it takes to be a decent enough depth option for a number of teams across the NHL.

Without a contract for a majority of the summer, Aston-Reese signed a professional tryout contract with the Carolina Hurricanes.

In four preseason games with the Hurricanes, Aston-Reese failed to record a point and racked up six penalty minutes.

The Hurricanes had seen enough, however, just before the start of the regular season and released Aston-Reese from his PTO.

Aston-Reese is back on the market as a free agent, but with the season so close and so many rosters just about set, it isn’t likely he finds a new home in time to start the regular season.

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