Pittsburgh Penguins lose both Jason Zucker and Jeff Petry
The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced injuries to forward Jason Zucker and defenseman Jeff Petry with both missing a crucial part of the NHL regular season in December.
Petry looks to have the worst of the injuries as he has been placed on long-term injured reserve with an upper-body injury. While no exact timeline had been given for his return, he is expected to miss a significant period of the campaign for the Penguins.
The defenseman arrived in Pittsburgh in the summer from Montreal and has been an important piece to the Penguins’ success this season. He has 12 points in 28 games this season and his presence on the ice will be sorely missed by his teammates. The veteran has featured in a total of 831 games during his time in the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers, Montreal Canadiens and Penguins, putting up a total of 334 points.
It remains to be seen how exactly they will fill the void left by Petry considering he was averaging over 22 minutes of ice time per game with the Penguins, becoming an integral part in the Penguins’ top four defenseman. The 35-year-old should be back well before the playoffs start though, which is a sigh of relief for Pittsburgh fans.
Zucker isn’t expected to miss as much time as Petry but is still considered “week-to-week” according to Pittsburgh’s head coach Mike Sullivan.
“Obviously, we feel for Zuck, because he’s played extremely well for us this year,” Sullivan told members of the media in a press conference on Wednesday, via ESPN. “He’s finally put a string of games together where he’s been in the lineup for a number of games. It’s been a struggle since he’s been a Penguin just keeping them healthy. So, we’re hopeful we’re not going to lose him too long here.”
The left winger was originally drafted 59th overall in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft by the Minnesota Wild but was traded to the Penguins in February for the likes of Alex Galchenyuk, Calen Addison and a conditional first round pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. However, he has had a plethora of injury problems since arriving in Pittsburgh only featuring in a total of 79 regular games over the last two seasons.
The Penguins find themselves in a competitive battle for top spot in the Eastern Conference’s Metropolitan Division as they continue to fight it out with the likes of the Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers. It remains to be seen how the recent injuries will affect the Penguins who have been on a roll as of late winning seven consecutive contests. They will be desperate to keep the streak alive even without their two stars as they sit third in the division.
No mention of acquiring any external help via a trade or free agent signing has been mentioned yet, but it could be a real possibility if Petry or Zucker are out of action for longer than expected. The NHL trade deadline isn’t until March 3rd this season, leaving the Penguins with plenty of time to analyze the situation with both players and make a calculated decision when necessary.
