Monday, February 11, 2013
Letang's timeline
By Luke Lapinski
UPDATE: According to the Pittsburgh Penguins' website, the club has re-assigned Joe Morrow to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre of the AHL. He was called up yesterday, but didn't even suit up for last night's game against New Jersey.
That means the former first round pick (No. 23 overall in 2011) will have to wait awhile longer to make his NHL debut. It may also mean Kris Letang is getting closer to a return. The Pens' top defender is on the IR currently, but is at least eligible to come back and play when Pittsburgh hosts Ottawa on Wednesday. Whether he's physically ready or not remains to be seen, but Morrow was originally called up as an insurance policy with Letang and Matt Niskanen nursing injuries. The fact that he was sent back down would seem to indicate that one of those two blueliners is making progress. Niskanen, for his part, took part in the club's optional morning skate yesterday, but said he still has "a few more steps to take".
---The Pittsburgh Penguins have played their last two games without top defenseman Kris Letang. And they'll have to make do without him again tonight when they host New Jersey. As Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review points out, the club put the 25-year old blueliner on IR, retroactive to Tuesday.
That officially rules him out for tonight, but at least leaves the possibility open that he could be back for the Pens' next game on Wednesday. The club will also have to make due without Matt Niskanen tonight, leaving them pretty thin on the back end. Simon Despres has played well of late, and seems to be delivering on his immense potential. But Dan Bylsma doesn't have very many pieces to work with in the defense corps at the moment. To that end, Pittsburgh called up Joe Morrow from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this morning.
