On Monday evening it was announced that Penguins forward Pascal Dupuis will miss another 4-5 weeks with a blood clot. The 35-year-old forward missed all but 16 games for the Penguins last season. He put up 7 goals in those 16 games.
Dupuis also missed the second half of the 2013-14 season after tearing his ACL in December of 2013. Up until that injury the winger had been extremely durable for the Penguins. He was the other man acquired in the blockbuster trade that sent Marian Hossa to the Penguins as the 2008 NHL trade deadline.
This news comes on the eve of the deadline for teams to have their 23 man roster set. It is expected that the Penguins will place Dupuis on long term injured reserve in order to save some cap space early in the season.
Dupuis was expected to play on the third line with Nick Bonino and David Perron. Beau Bennett will likely move up to the third line when Pittsburgh plays at Dallas in the team’s season opener on Thursday.
In related salary cap moves, the Penguins sent Olli Maatta to their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins while recalling centre Oskar Sundqvist. They are expected to recall Maatta after maximizing the available space and placing Dupuis on LTIR.
Main Photo:
UNIONDALE, NY – DECEMBER 03: Pascal Dupuis #9 of the Pittsburgh Penguins skates against the New York Islanders at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on December 3, 2013 in Uniondale, New York. The Penguins defeated the Islanders 3-2 in overtime. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)