If there was even the tiniest sliver of hope for a Pascal Dupuis return this season, Pittsburgh wiped it out on Monday.
The Pens announced that Dupuis, who suffered a torn ACL in late December, will undergo surgery to repair the ligament on Feb. 12. The date will coincide with the NHL’s Olympic break and put the 34-year-old’s status for next season into question, given recovery from a torn ACL can last up to a year.
Dupuis was enjoying another solid campaign at the time of the injury (suffered during a collision with Pens captain Sidney Crosby.) He had seven goals and 20 points in 39 games in the first of his four-year, $15 million deal.
Pens GM Ray Shero admitted losing Dupuis was a blow to his club, but noted the injury would have been much more difficult to deal with had it happened after the trade deadline. It’ll be interesting to see if Shero goes out and gets a rental winger by the deadline, as he’s done in seasons past (think Marian Hossa, Bill Guerin, Jarome Iginla, etc. etc.)
