Dupuis future with Penguins remains cloudy
The short-term outlook is bright for Penguins defenseman Kris Letang, but the forecast for winger Pascal Dupuis remains hazy.
Letang, who missed the final seven games of the regular season and all of the Penguins’ first-round playoff series against the New York Rangers because of a concussion, has been cleared to resume full workouts.
But it still hasn’t been determined if Dupuis, who missed most of the 2014-15 season because of blood clots, will be able to resume his playing career.
“On May 20, they started doing testing, checking to see where the blood clot was, or if it was there, all these things,” general manager Jim Rutherford said. “The next step is, there are certain medications you can go on that may allow you to play, or may not allow you to play.
“That’s the next step now, to see if there’s a medication that gives him enough recovery time that he’s available to play every day. That’s what we’re waiting to see.”
Rutherford said there is reason for neither optimism nor pessimism at this point, but that the Penguins hope to have something definitive on Dupuis’ future by the end of the month.
“Certainly, by July 1, we need to have an idea of whether he’s going to be able to play, or play part of a season, or how that lays out, so we can do our planning for our team,” he said.
Dupuis, 36, was the Penguins’ first-line right winger when his blood clots were discovered. He had six goals and five assists in 16 games last season.
Letang, who missed the final seven games of the regular season and all of the Penguins’ first-round playoff series against the New York Rangers because of a concussion, has been cleared to resume full workouts.
General manager Jim Rutherford said Letang does not have any restrictions, but that “he’ll continue to be monitored as the offseason goes along.”
Rutherford added that the Penguins believe Letang could be at 100 percent by the time training camp opens in September.
Letang was widely regarded as a contender for the Norris Trophy, awarded to the NHL’s top defenseman, before his injury.
