Reed back, but Rats still short

Despite the return of Harrison Reed from the ECHL, the River Rats will likely be short on forwards heading into a three-game weekend. 

Reed rejoined the Rats today after registering three shots on goal last night with the Florida Everblades in a shootout win over the Reading Royals.

On the other side of the coin, Pat Dwyer, Zach Boychuk, Jiri Tlusty and Jerome Samson all remain with the Carolina Hurricanes. 

Moreover, Rob Hennigar is out indefinitely with a broken hand, Michael Ryan is curbed with a lower-body injury and Matthew Pistilli is sidelined with a concussion sustained last Saturday.

Defenseman Jonathan Paiement will likely continue playing the role of two-way winger, but even with Paiement up front, Albany will be limited to just 11 forwards. 

A tryout deal for an ECHL skater could be in the works. The Rats may also consider calling up a defenseman and putting Tim Conboy at wing, where the rugged blueliner was positioned in Carolina.