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Pittsburgh Penguins News

Letang (lower-body) will miss about two weeks.

Letang’s “minor lower-body injury” is not looking so minor anymore. Coach Johnston said that it will be about two weeks, so we will consider him out for 10-14 days. Christian Ehrhoff and Olli Maatta get a bump in fantasy value with the extended power-play time they will see.

Kris Letang
The Penguins have placed Kris Letang (lower-body) on injured reserve.

The move is likely retroactive to November 28th, which means that Letang will miss Thursday’s game vs. the Canucks as well, because he is not eligible to be activated until Friday. The Penguins called it a “minor lower-body injury” so he could be back on Saturday vs. the Senators.

Kris Letang
Malkin (lower-body) says he expects to play on Thursday.

Malkin missed all of the preseason but has been practicing the last two days and says he thinks he will play when the Penguins open up their season on Thursday vs. the Ducks. Health has been a concern for Malkin in recent years (missed 85 games in 4 years), but talent definitely is not a concern. He had 23 goals and 49 assists (72 points) in 60 games last season.

Evgeni Malkin
Malkin (lower-body) will likely start the season on the wing with Brandon Sutter Pascal Dupuis.

Malkin who has played centre for the vast majority of his career is expected to start the season on the wing under new head coach Mike Johnston. Malkin is still questionable for Thursday's season opener, but when he gets in the lineup, be prepared to see him on the wing.

Evgeni Malkin
Dumba to start the season on the Wild's top power-play unit.

Dumba, 20, played 13 games with the Wild last season before being sent back to juniors. He has cracked the Wild opening day roster and will play on the third pair with Christian Folin, but will also lineup on the top power-play unit next to Ryan Suter. If he can lock this spot down, he makes for a great pick-up and sleeper candidate. The second-year D-man has a ton of offensive talent, evidenced by his 24 points (8G / 16A) in 26 games with the Portland Winterhawks (WHL) last season.

Matt Dumba
Malkin says he is 50/50 whether he will play on Thursday.

Malkin skated with the Sidney Crosby and Patric Honrqvist this morning and said that he is feeling good, just a little out of shape. He added that if he doesn't play in the opener on Thursday, he expects to be in the lineup on Saturday vs. the Maple Leafs. This is great news for the Penguins and Malkin owners.

Evgeni Malkin
Malkin (lower-body) was back at practice on Tuesday, playing on the wing with Sidney Crosby and Patric Hornqvist.

Being used on the wing suggests that Malkin was simply filling in for Chris Kunitz and may not be ready for Thursday's season opener. Malkin missed the preseason with a lower-body injury, but his status should be monitored over the next two days.

Evgeni Malkin
Malkin (undisclosed) skated on Saturday for the first time since September 19th.

Details on Malkin's injury have been very vague. Six days ago head coach Mike Johnson originally said that Malkin would be out four or five more days, so it appears that Malkin's recovery is on schedule. Malkin has battled injuries throughout his career, so this is not the way he wanted to start the 2014-15 season. The Penguins start their season on Thusday, so monitor Malkin's status as the season approaches.

Evgeni Malkin
Crosby (undisclosed) returned to training camp on Friday after missing Thursday's practice.

The Penguins announced on Thursday that he would be held out of the early portion of camp as a precautionary measure as he recovers from a minor undisclosed injury. Crosby is coming off of his healthiest season in four years, so it is a great sign to see him back on the ice right away. The injury is reportedly not related to the wrist injury he decided not to get surgery on this summer.

Sidney Crosby