Penguins release bad news on Kris Letang

Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang is almost certainly the frontrunner to be awarded the Bill Masterton Trophy at the 2023 NHL Awards following the conclusion of the regular season. His remarkable return to action after having suffered the second stroke of his life is nothing short of inspirational and even miraculous. 

However, the Penguins have released a negative update on his condition, though thankfully it doesn't appear to be related to his two previous strokes. Letang was absent today from practice with the rest of his teammates due to what is being described as a lower body injury. 

Of course, this isn't the news that the Penguins, who suffered an emasculating loss to the Detroit Red Wings on home ice last night, wanted to hear. As you may know, they're already thin on the blue line as Jeff Petry and Chad Ruhwedel remain out with injuries of their own. 

During last night's loss to Detroit in which they initially led 4-0 only to lose 5-4 in overtime, Letang registered a game high 27:01 of ice time on 34 shifts. He's tallied 16 points (2G-14A) in 29 games played this season. 

Pittsburgh has recently called up Ty Smith and Mark Friedman from the American Hockey League affiliate Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins, along with forward Drake Caggiula.