Penguins place Kris Letang on injured reserve with fracture in foot
The Pittsburgh Penguins announced on Saturday morning that they have placed defenseman Kris Letang on injured reserve with a fracture in his foot that will keep him out of the lineup for a minimum of four weeks.
Kris Letang is expected to miss a minimum of four weeks with a fracture in his foot.
The Penguins have placed defenseman Kris Letang on Injured Reserve.
Letang last appeared on Thursday night, when the Penguins defeated the Chicago Blackhawks by a 6-2 margin. The veteran skated over 21 minutes while recording three shots on goal.
Both Letang and forward Evgeni Malkin were not at Pittsburgh’s practice on Friday, and the team announced their respective statuses would be updated Saturday.
The timeline provided by the team means Letang will be out through the Olympic break, but it does allow for most of his recovery to occur while the league is idle during the Olympic tournament.
In 50 games played this season, Letang has tallied 3 goals and dished out 22 assists for a total of 25 points while skating to a plus-3 rating in an average of 22:05 of time on ice per game.
The three-time Stanley Cup champion is in the fourth season of a six-year contract that carries a salary cap hit of $6.1 million. Over his 20-year career, Letang has 797 points in 1,211 games played.
Picked by many to finish at or near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings this season, the Penguins have proven to be arguably the biggest surprise of the year. Pittsburgh holds the second place spot in the Metropolitan Division with a record of 27-14-11. Before Saturday’s slate, the Pens are six points behind the Carolina Hurricanes for the top spot with a game in hand.
The Penguins are in the national spotlight on Saturday as they host the New York Rangers at 3:30 PM Eastern in a game broadcast nationally on ABC in the United States. Pittsburgh will stay at home on Monday for a game against Ottawa.