BY DEJAN KOVACEVIC
News: Kris Letang has a concussion, the Penguins confirmed through Mike Johnston this morning at Consol, and will be evaluated the next few days before any timetable for a return can be set.
Views: Yeah, again. And with Stanley Cup playoffs beginning April 15, a little more than two weeks.
Complicating matters, at least for the short term, is that the extraordinary cap push combined with the lack of a long-term injured reserve this time of year, has the Penguins playing a man or two short on a fairly regular basis. With David Perron’s illness having him doubtful for tonight against the Sharks, per Johnston, that could mean two down.
Kris Letang stays prone after being pushed into the end boards Saturday at Consol. — GETTY
It also could mean that Daniel Winnik, a career-long forward in the NHL, could take shifts on defense if needed, the coach added. Winnik has distant history on the blue line and almost surely would be considered only if one or two more defensemen went down.
Maybe this is something the NHL needs to reconsider in the future. The LTIR part, I mean. Seems kind of pointless in the first place.
As for Letang … I can tell you from some of the reactions after the game yesterday that the immediate and more pressing concern was how he landed on his upper back. Not to diminish the concussion in any way, but landing that hard on that spot had people scared. And once they’d found out nothing there had gone awry, that might explain why they sounded more encouraged than not.
Aside from the human and team facets, one would hope this doesn’t impact his chances at the Norris Trophy, but it undoubtedly will, just as it has for Mark Giordano in Calgary. He’s had an exceptional season, and a couple weeks out won’t subtract much, if anything.
Finally, Johnston eventually got around to commenting on the Shane Doan hit on Letang: “It was just him going back, as you saw. It was such a distance from the boards. And when he landed, and his head snapped back into the boards, that was the main impact.”
UPDATE 1:32 p.m.: There will be no supplemental punishment for Doan, according to NHL Player Safety. Here was the entire statement: “After reviewing the play carefully and from all angles, we have determined that this was an unfortunate result from a hockey play. It is not boarding, it is not charging, he doesn’t hit him in the head. He finishes his check by shoving Letang and unfortunately he falls awkwardly. It wasn’t really even a violent hit, although it resulted in an unfortunate injury.”
March 29, 2015
News/views: Letang concussed, Doan cleared
by Dejan Kovacevic • News/views • Penguins
BY DEJAN KOVACEVIC
News: Kris Letang has a concussion, the Penguins confirmed through Mike Johnston this morning at Consol, and will be evaluated the next few days before any timetable for a return can be set.
Views: Yeah, again. And with Stanley Cup playoffs beginning April 15, a little more than two weeks.
Complicating matters, at least for the short term, is that the extraordinary cap push combined with the lack of a long-term injured reserve this time of year, has the Penguins playing a man or two short on a fairly regular basis. With David Perron’s illness having him doubtful for tonight against the Sharks, per Johnston, that could mean two down.
Kris Letang stays prone after being pushed into the end boards Saturday at Consol. — GETTY
It also could mean that Daniel Winnik, a career-long forward in the NHL, could take shifts on defense if needed, the coach added. Winnik has distant history on the blue line and almost surely would be considered only if one or two more defensemen went down.
Maybe this is something the NHL needs to reconsider in the future. The LTIR part, I mean. Seems kind of pointless in the first place.
As for Letang … I can tell you from some of the reactions after the game yesterday that the immediate and more pressing concern was how he landed on his upper back. Not to diminish the concussion in any way, but landing that hard on that spot had people scared. And once they’d found out nothing there had gone awry, that might explain why they sounded more encouraged than not.
Aside from the human and team facets, one would hope this doesn’t impact his chances at the Norris Trophy, but it undoubtedly will, just as it has for Mark Giordano in Calgary. He’s had an exceptional season, and a couple weeks out won’t subtract much, if anything.
Finally, Johnston eventually got around to commenting on the Shane Doan hit on Letang: “It was just him going back, as you saw. It was such a distance from the boards. And when he landed, and his head snapped back into the boards, that was the main impact.”
UPDATE 1:32 p.m.: There will be no supplemental punishment for Doan, according to NHL Player Safety. Here was the entire statement: “After reviewing the play carefully and from all angles, we have determined that this was an unfortunate result from a hockey play. It is not boarding, it is not charging, he doesn’t hit him in the head. He finishes his check by shoving Letang and unfortunately he falls awkwardly. It wasn’t really even a violent hit, although it resulted in an unfortunate injury.”