Injury Bug Ravages Pittsburgh

After shipping out several key players over the offseason, the Penguins were expected to lean heavily on the veterans that stuck around.  What then, is the team to do when they go down?

Kris Letang, Justin Abdelkader, Bo Horvat and Alex Burrows are all on the shelf while the team stays in the mix for a final playoff spot. Letang and Abdelkader are out long term, meaning big minutes for Cam Fowler, Nick Bonino and others.

"It really sucks", says GM Mat Fargas.  "Kris has just the worst luck with injuries, I guess we should have expected him to be out for some time.  I guess it's better now than in April. Justin is a huge loss for us up front. He's been arguably our best winger this year.  Time for Dustin (Brown) and Devante (Smith Pelly) to step up and pick up some of the slack."

The Penguins had been on an impressive run, despite a lacklustre start. Recently dropping their last two to divisional rivals New Jersey and Carolina may signal hard times to come.  When asked if he would consider bringing in some veterans via trade to bolster his depleted lineup, Fargas immediately shot that down. "Absolutely no rental players. I'm always open to making a hockey deal. I want this team to grow together, with contributions from players at all stages of their careers- but I'm in no mood to sacrifice a young player just to put my finger in the dike. Er, that sounded dirty. Don't print that", said Fargas.

At the quarter pole, the Penguins stand just above .500. Stay tuned to see where this roller coaster of a franchise plummets or skyrockets to next.

-AP-