Just as the Pittsburgh Penguins’ lineup was getting healthy again, the injury bug bit again. Evgeni Malkin will miss 6-8 weeks with an upper-body injury.
Pittsburgh Penguins fans and players rejoiced as injured players began to rejoin the lineup: every player on the roster participated in practice just days ago. The surplus of available players would give the coaching staff more freedom in their decisions, and the depth would help through the rest of the season and a playoff run.
It was too good to last.
Friday night, the Penguins visited the Columbus Blue Jackets, eking out a 3-2 win in a scrappy game. Evgeni Malkin left early in the game with an apparent wrist injury after hitting the boards hard; he returned briefly and then quickly went down the tunnel to the locker room again, where he would remain for the rest of the game.
Earlier today, the Pens announced that Malkin had not travelled to New York with the team, instead flying back to Pittsburgh for further evaluation of his injury. Now they have announced that he will miss 6-8 weeks with an upper-body injury.
Malkin had only just returned from a ten-game absence due to another injury and had bolstered the team’s powerplay. His incredible stickhandling and intimidating size are irreplaceable aspects of his game.
During that period, Matt Cullen had taken his spot on the second line, centering Carl Hagelin and Phil Kessel. Last night, Cullen moved up to the same position following Malkin’s departure from the bench.
However, Nick Bonino was moved up to the second line in practice today rather than Cullen. Bonino has been okay this year but not great. Cullen has now moved to the third line, and Eric Fehr has been relegated to the fourth line, back in his natural position as center.
Fehr, whose first game back after a lengthy absence of his own was against Columbus, had originally been on Cullen’s wing. This movement allows Beau Bennett to potentially slot in on the fourth line.
More from Penguins News
- Welcome To The Burgh: Lars Eller
- Penguins Waddle Toward The Season
- Farewell Carl Hagelin
- Penguins Line-up Breakdown vs Stanley Cup Champs Vegas
- Ryan Graves Solid Signing For The Pittsburgh Penguins
Scott Wilson was also banged up in the tumultuous game against Columbus. He traveled with the team to New York, unlike Malkin, but did not practice and is considered to be a game-time decision tomorrow.
The estimated time frame of Malkin’s recovery time majorly overlaps into the playoff season. If the Penguins don’t make it in or can’t get past the first round, it’s more than likely that Geno will be out the rest of the season.
That leads to another question. No one really expects the Penguins to make a deep playoff run; however, Malkin is a great player because of his determination to win with this team. If he believes in their ability to make a strong push – or is pressured by Pens staff – he could try to come back before the injury is fully healed, potentially leading to serious damage in the long run.
If everyone accepts that he won’t be back this year at all – regular-season or post-season – then he’ll have enough time to rehabilitate and heal his injury without pressure to return. Still, that’s got to pain a guy who’s as competitive as Malkin nearly as much as the actual injury.
As we learned during his most recent period of nonavailability, the team struggles mightily without him. Cullen was a decent substitute in some areas of the game, but not all. Bonino may prove to be more effective but by no means replaces Malkin. This injury is a huge blow to the team, especially at this point in the season.