521-game NHL veteran Mark Pysyk will be out with a “longer term” injury according to Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan, as relayed by the Pittsburgh Post-Tribune’s Seth Rorabaugh. Pysyk has been with the Penguins on a PTO, attempting an NHL comeback after missing the entirety of the 2022-23 campaign with an injury to his Achilles.
While the exact nature of Pysyk’s injury is undisclosed, this is a brutal blow for the veteran defenseman. A widely well-liked stay-at-home defenseman, Pysyk’s injury could cost him his chance at a contract with the Penguins, and further cloud his future in a league he’s played in since his NHL debut in 2012-13.
Some other injury notes from across the NHL:
- The New York Rangers have announced that star forward Artemi Panarin did not practice today due to a lower-body injury, and is out on a day-to-day designation. Panarin, 31, has been the Rangers’ leading scorer and top offensive generator in every season he’s played on Broadway. While there’s no word on how serious this injury is beyond this announcement, the team will need him up to speed on opening night to stand the best chance of pulling ahead in what figures to be a cutthroat Metropolitan Division.
- Larry Brooks of the New York Post relays word of another Rangers injury. Ascending pivot Filip Chytil left today’s practice with an upper-body injury, and like Panarin is considered day-to-day. While Chytil, 24, is not in the same stratosphere of importance as Panarin, he is an impactful Ranger in his own right. He enjoyed a breakout 2022-23, scoring 22 goals and 45 points. He’s expected to push to shake Vincent Trocheck’s tight grip on the Rangers’ second-line center job this season, though that task may become more difficult should he be forced to battle through injuries.
Word was Pysyk was having a really good training camp and had a shot at being the 6th D-man