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Just as soon as it got back defenseman Kris Letang from injury, the Penguins’ blue line took a long-term hit. Head coach Dan Bylsma announced Monday that the team will be without defenseman Rob Scuderi indefinitely after he suffered a broken ankle Saturday in Toronto.
Scuderi, one of the Penguins’ big offseason acquisitions, was injured when he got hit by Maple Leafs forward David Clarkson. This summer, Scuderi signed a four-year, $13.5 million contract to return to Pittsburgh, where he began his career, after four seasons with the Los Angeles Kings.
The 34-year-old rearguard has one assist in 11 games while averaging more than 19 minutes a night.
According to Josh Yohe of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Scuderi is scheduled for surgery later this week and the Pens will go with a seven-man defensive rotation in his absence. Letang, who was paired with Scuderi, will now play with Matt Niskanen.
It’s been a week of piling on the Pens, as Pittsburgh has lost three of its last four games after a strong start to the season.
Luckily for Bylsma's bunch, the Metropolitan Division hasn’t gained much ground, as Pittsburgh is still five points clear of its next closest divisional opponents with an 8-4-0 record.
