Penguins News: Kris Letang Dealt With "Significant" Injury This Season

As the Pittsburgh Penguins cleared their lockers and headed home for the summer, it was revealed that star defenceman Kris Letang finished the season playing with multiple injuries, and now we've learned that at least one of them was "significant", according to GM Kyle Dubas.

It now even appears, per the GM, that surgery is in the offing for Letang. 

Kris was going to get a second opinion on (what) ails him, which is significant. He’s played with it the whole year. It’s likely going to head that way (surgery), and then we’ll have an update once he makes a decision.

All of this helps explain why the veteran defenseman missed several practices late in the season as well as most morning skates. A multitude of injury problems, including a serious one, will do that. 

“He’s a warrior,” said head coach Mike Sullivan, via Pittsburgh Hockey Now. “There’s no other way to put it. Some of the things he was dealing with down the stretch and continuing to play through to help us try to get to where we wanted was a big reason he wasn’t at practice.”

Dubas also went on to marvel at Letang's ability to somehow play all 82 games for the Penguins this season, given what he was going through. 

“I think especially in Kris’s case, the things that he went through during the year to make sure that he could be available in all 82 games was remarkable,” Dubas said. “(It) speaks to who he is as a person, how competitive he is, and what he’s willing to put on the table for the team.”

The soon-to-be 37-year-old, Letang produced another fine season on the Penguins backline, posting 51 points along with a +13 rating while playing nearly 25 minutes a night. He also blocked 136 shots and dished out 137 hits. 

Photo: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports