Penguins suffer big loss in Gonchar
The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without Sergei Gonchar for up to six months, as the team’s top defenseman will have arthroscopic surgery to repair his dislocated left shoulder.
The 34-year-old Russian was injured in Pittsburgh’s first exhibition game Sept. 20 against the Tampa Bay Lightning after being checked by David Koci.
Gonchar recorded 12 goals and 53 assists in 73 games last season and is second in NHL scoring among defensemen the last two seasons; he hasn’t scored less than 57 points in the last eight seasons. He led the Penguins in ice time last season with more than 25 minutes a game and finished fourth in Norris Trophy voting for the league’s top defensemen.
The Penguins had originally hoped that surgery could have been avoided and that Gonchar would only miss between two and three weeks.
“Actually, it’s not the worst-case scenario for me,” Pens GM Ray Shero said. “My worst-case was that he would have been out for the entire season. We’re going to be getting him back at some point, which is great news for us.”
Shero hopes to have Gonchar back for the final month of the regular season.
“It is always difficult to lose a very talented player and leader for an extended period of time, but we all believe this is the best decision for Sergei,” Shero said.
The Penguins, who will open the regular season with two games against Ottawa in Stockholm, Sweden, this weekend, also are missing defenseman Ryan Whitney, who is expected to be out until December while recovering from foot surgery.
Those injuries should mean an expanded role for 21-year-old Kris Letang, who failed to make the team out of training camp last season but grew into a major role when he was called up later in the year. Letang had six goals, 11 assists in 63 games with the Penguins last season.
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