Once again, the Pittsburgh Penguins are facing the prospect of a hole in their blue line due to a serious medical issue involving one of their most important players.
On Monday, the Penguins announced that they'll be without sophomore Olli Maatta for about four weeks after he undergoes surgery next week to remove a tumor from his neck. Wes Crosby of NHL.com reports that the tumor "has an 85-percent chance of being a low-grade thyroid cancer," according to team doctor Dharmesh Vyas.
Just back from offseason shoulder surgery to repair a labral tear, Maatta has spent the early part of the 2014-15 season paired primarily with Kris Letang. Averaging 20:08 of ice time, Maatta is Pittsburgh's top-scoring defenseman with six points in eight games.
Maatta will continue to play until his surgery next week. In his first game after Monday's announcement, he had one assist and was named third star in Pittsburgh's 8-3 win over the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday. He's expected to appear in Pittsburgh's next two home games before going under the knife.
The Penguins host the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday for their annual "Ho ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Carol Schram
How the Pittsburgh Penguins Will Cope with the Absence of Olli Maatta
October 29th, 2014 by Carol Schram Leave a reply »
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