Penguins’ Jan Rutta expected to miss eight-to-ten weeks following core muscle repair surgery
The Pittsburgh Penguins announced Thursday that defenseman Jan Rutta has undergone core muscle repair surgery this week, and he is expected to miss the next eight-to-ten weeks. Rutta’s surgery was performed in St. Louis, Missouri, by Dr. Michael Brunt in coordination with the Penguins’ Head Team Physician, Dr. Dharmesh Vyas of UPMC Sports Medicine. The timeline leaves plenty of space open for Rutta to get ready for next season and be ready for training camp.
Defenseman Jan Rutta underwent a successful core muscle injury repair this week.
The expected recovery timeline is 8-10 weeks.
The 32-year-old last played on April 11, 5-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. He notched nine points (three goals, six assists), 70 blocked shots and was a plus-3 in 17:07 of time on ice throughout 56 games this past season with the Penguins. Rutta also played a strong role this season on the Penguins penalty kill. While at even strength the Penguins out scored their opponents 33-32 while Rutta was on the ice He signed a three-year $8,250,000 contract with the Penguins last offseason; the contract has an average annual value of $2,750,000.
The Pisek, Czechia product went undrafted and made his National Hockey League debut with the Blackhawks in 2017-18 after tallying 32 points in 46 games in the Tipsport Extraliga in Czechia. After a two-year stint with the Blackhawks, he was dealt to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Slater Koekkoek and a fifth-round pick in 2019. He would go on to win back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Lightning organization before making it to a third straight Stanley Cup Final, where they were eliminated by the Colorado Avalanche.
Thought a six-year NHL career, Rutta has appeared in 294 games registering 15 goals and 55 assists for 70 points and 153 penalty minutes.