Beau Bennett can’t catch a break.
Bennett, who missed the first 13 games of the season with a lower-body ailment, is back on the shelf for “a couple of weeks” with a similar injury, per Pens head coach Mike Johnston.
It’s the latest in what’s been an injury-riddled start to Bennett’s professional career. Taken 20th overall at the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, Bennett debuted for the Pens during the lockout-shortened ’13 campaign but has struggled to stay healthy ever since; last year, he missed nearly two-thirds of the regular season to a troublesome wrist injury and, this year, got hurt early in training camp after colliding with teammate Kasperi Kapanen.
The incident put Bennett on the shelf for six weeks. He made his season debut on Nov. 11 against the Rangers and has been up-and-down ever since, with the biggest bright spot being a one-goal, three-point outing against Montreal last Tuesday.
Johnston acknowledged that Bennett’s had health issues, but dismissed the notion the 22-year-old is too injury-prone for the NHL.
“When you look at the injuries he’s had, it’s just the way things happen,” Johnston said, per the Tribune-Review. “Maybe it’s just a stroke of bad luck. He’s trained hard. He was ready for the start of the season. I’m convinced it’s just one of those things.”
