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Letang has been out since he suffered a stroke in late January. The Penguins will not will not rush Letang back considering the gravity of his condition, but it sounds like he will be back before the end of the regular season.
This is fantastic news for the Penguins. Earlier in the week there were reports that they don't expect him to be back this season, now he is cleared for full practice. Being cleared for full practice and being cleared to skate is a big difference. Expect Letang to be a full participant this week and if all goes well he could be back soon.
The crucial thing to keep in mind regarding Letang is there remains no time frame for his return. Also, the information on this end is that the Penguins are not expecting him to play again until next season. Letang was in good spirits on Tuesday night while conversing with teammates after the Penguins’ win over Washington. He said he has put on some weight in the past couple of weeks – a good sign given the muscle mass he had dropped during a month of nothing but rest after his stroke.
Letang will be on blood-thinners for another three weeks, is restricted to light exercise, and is counting on medical evidence that those who suffer strokes at such a young age can resume professional sports careers. Doctors have told Letang there is no reason he cannot resume his hockey career, but they cannot tell him when. “I’m targeting it day-by-day,” he said. “I’m trying to improve every day I come [to the rink]. I try to exercise the best I can. I see doctors pretty much every week, twice a week to get better. So we’ll go from there.”
The condition is treatable with blood thinners and at this point is not believed to be career threatening. Further testing also revealed that Letang, 26, has had a very small hole in the wall of his heart since birth. This small defect in the wall is present in all individuals before birth but seals shut in most people. It is possible that the hole in the heart led to the stroke. “The most important thing right now, of course, is Kris’ health,” GM Ray Shero said. “We’re not thinking about hockey right now. We want to make sure he gets the best possible care and gets better. After six weeks of treatment, doctors will re-evaluate Kris.”
The reports on Letang's illness have been extremely vague. There is no word on what kind of illness he is dealing with, but he will miss his fourth straight game tomorrow.
Letang will miss his third straight game and will go for further evaluations. Pens head coach Dan Bylsma is not sure whether or not Letang is fighting a serious illness. We should no more after Letang gets more tests done.
Letang has missed the last two games with an illness and his absence this morning suggests that he will not be available for tonight's game either. We will get an update following the skate.
Letang will miss his second consecutive game tonight. He was listed as doubtful so this is not really a surprise. Monitor his status prior to Monday's contest.
Robert Bortuzzo will slide into the lineup with Letang scratched. The Penguins say they will provide an update following tonight's game.
Letang missed the last 10 games with an elbow infection. He was out a little longer than expected, but it is great the Penguins to get their premiere defenseman back today. It has been a troubling year for Letang. He has been battling injuries and has tallied only 11 points (6G / 5A) with a minus-6 rating in 24 games. Expect him to play 20-plus minutes and see tons of power-play time in his return.
Letang was practicing today and took reps with the Penguins top power-play unit which is a positive sign that he could make his return tomorrow. The game starts at one so he will likely be re-evaluated in the morning and head coach Dan Bylsma will address the media a few hours before puck-drop.
The Penguins start 2014 with some great news. Letang has missed the last nine games but his return to practice is a great sign that he is nearing a return from his elbow infection. The Penguins are in action on Friday, monitor Letang's status.
Letang has not been placed on the long-term injured reserve list, which would force him to miss at least 10 games and 24 days. Letang had a medical procedure to clean an open wound that appeared after the Penguins won at home against New Jersey on Dec. 13. He participated in pregame warm-ups at Detroit the next day but was a late-decision scratch. Letang did not have the surgery to repair a bone break or displacement or ligament damage. He had the procedure only to treat an infection in the wound. Temporary casting is in place to prevent arm movement that could reopen the wound.
The injury reports on Letang have been extremely vague, but obviously it is obvious that he is dealing with some sort of arm injury. He has already been ruled out of the next two games as he won't return until after the Christmas break.
This is a terrible break for the Penguins who are already without Paul Martin, Brooks Orpik and Rob Scuderi on the blueline. The Penguins play five games before the Christmas break, so he will miss at least five games, but could be more.
Letang took part in warmups but was a late scratch for Saturday's game vs. the Red Wings. There was no word on how serious Letang's injury is and he will likely be re-evaluated this week. His placement on IR means he will miss at least one week from Saturday. Monitor his status as the week progresses.
“We'll see,” Letang said. “I don't know what's going on right now.”
No word on what is ailing Letang but he will not be in the lineup vs. the Red Wings. The Peguins are now without Paul Martin, Rob Scuderi, Brooks Orpik and Letang on the blueline. Brian Dumoulin will enter the lineup.
Since returning from his knee injury on October 25, Letang has scored three goals and added one assist in nine games. If he can't go tonight, the returning Paul Martin would take his spot on the Penguins top power-play unit.
