On Tuesday, the Pittsburgh Penguins placed top defenseman Erik Karlsson on injured reserve, which could threaten to derail their season
On Tuesday, the Pittsburgh Penguins announced what could, potentially, be their most detrimental injury news of the season.
And it couldn't have come at a worse time for the team.
Top defenseman Erik Karlsson was placed on injured reserve Tuesday with a lower-body injury and will be re-evaluated in two weeks by the team. It is unclear how Karlsson sustained the injury, but he will miss at least the next four games, and this is while the Penguins sit just one point out of a playoff spot in the East.
In a corresponding move, defenseman Ryan Graves was recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS). Center Tristan Broz was also recalled, and he took the place of forward Rafael Harvey-Pinard, who was re-assigned to Pittsburgh's AHL squad.
Karlsson, 35, is in the midst of his best season as a Penguin, amassing four goals and 33 points in 44 games. He has been a crucial part of both special teams units all season long, and he leads all blueliners in minutes, averaging 23:46 per game.
Quite frankly, Karlsson cannot be replaced, and it's going to be very difficult for the Penguins to work around his injury. Kris Letang has struggled through large stretches of the season this year, and he has started to develop some newfound chemistry with the recently acquired Brett Kulak on the second pairing. Karlsson has been glued to partner Parker Wotherspoon on the first pairing for the entire season, and they have been a formidable top pairing for the Penguins.
As of now, the Penguins' rostered right-side options are Letang, Connor Clifton, and Jack St. Ivany.
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