Pilut's recall was precipitated by an injury to fellow left-shot defenseman Jake McCabe, who will miss the team's game in St. Louis on Thursday. Krueger said the team is optimistic McCabe will be available to play its next game, at home against Vancouver on Saturday.
If Pilut does join the lineup, it will mark his first NHL contest since last season's finale in Detroit. He played 33 games with Buffalo last season, his first in North America, tallying six points (1+5) and averaging 17:25.
His time in Buffalo offered several flashes of the decisive, offensively gifted player who was named the Swedish Hockey League's Defenseman of the Year one year prior. It also served as a learning experience at hockey's highest level. The greates lesson, he says, was the importance of staying mentally fresh through the long grind of the season.
"Just keep that mind fresh all the time," he said. "That's a big thing. I think that's what I worked on a lot. I think I'm ready for that."
Pilut's surgery delayed his start to this season to Oct. 18. He tallied a goal and two assists in his fourth game, in Syracuse on Oct. 26, and the points have come steadily ever since. He has 21 points (5+16) in 29 contests with Rochester and was named an AHL All-Star for the second straight year.
"I think I've just been working on that consistency, trying to play at a high level all the time and just try to focus on my D-zone play all the time," he said. "I think that's been a big part of me so far. I think I can just keep going on that and keep developing also the offensive skill I have."