BOSTON — The Penguins’ decimated defensive corps may have taken yet another blow this week.
Brian Dumoulin and John Marino were both absent from Wednesday’s practice. That left the Penguins without two more of their top four blueliners.
Dumoulin, a steadying force next to Kris Letang on the top pair and a trusted voice in the locker room, left Tuesday’s overtime loss to the Bruins at the end of the second period and did not return. Coach Mike Sullivan said after the game that left-shot defenseman was being evaluated for a lower-body injury.
Marino, meanwhile, appeared hobbled after taking a hard hit in the corner in the third period. Although he finished the game, he also wasn’t on the ice Wednesday. It is unclear if his absence was injury-related or perhaps something else.
Additional details were not available, as Sullivan’s midday media availability was canceled when general manager Jim Rutherford resigned.
Even before Wednesday, the Penguins were dealing with a rash of injuries on the left side of their blue line. Should Dumoulin miss any length of time, the Penguins will be without all four of their top lefties from opening night. Marcus Pettersson, Mike Matheson and Juuso Riikola are all already recovering from injuries of their own.
If Marino misses time, the Penguins would be missing not only a talented, young player but also their righty most able to flip over and play the left side. He had been skating alongside righty Cody Ceci in a lineup combination that featured four right-handers and two lefties.
So where do they go from here?
During practice on Wednesday, the lefties were Kevin Czuczman, a 30-year-old veteran who hasn’t played an NHL game in seven years, and Pierre-Olivier Joseph, a 21-year-old rookie who played just his second NHL game on Tuesday. And that’s it.
Penguins sign defensive help
In a possible depth move, the Penguins signed 32-year-old free agent defenseman Yannick Weber. The right-shot blue-liner was cut following a tryout with Nashville a few weeks back. He's played 12 seasons and nearly 500 games.
Zach Trotman, who was often considered the Penguins’ ninth NHL-caliber defenseman last year, may have been a candidate for a promotion during this injury-ravaged stretch. However, he’s also sidelined after undergoing meniscus surgery in mid-January. That’s expected to keep him out until at least the middle of February.
Depending on the status of Marino and Dumoulin, other possible options might be 23-year-old lefty Cam Lee or 21-year-old righty Josh Maniscalco.
Matheson skates again
One encouraging sign on the injury front is that Matheson made the trip and participated in a non-contact jersey the last two days. He was initially considered to be out “longer term” with an upper-body injury he sustained in the second game of the season. Sullivan said on Tuesday that his status remains unchanged, even though he’s making progress.
Forward Zach Aston-Reese also participated in practice as he nears a possible return.
Mike DeFabo: mdefabo@post-gazette.com and Twitter @MikeDeFabo
First Published: January 27, 2021, 5:36 p.m.
