Penguins
Penguins Surprise: Letang OUT, Journeyman Makes NHL Debut
The Pittsburgh Penguins made a surprise lineup change Sunday afternoon before their rematch against the New York Islanders at PPG Paints Arena.
Top defenseman Kris Letang was not on the ice for warmup, and the team announced he was out with an injury, leaving 26-year-old career minor league defenseman Nate Clurman to get the “rookie lap” initiation before the game. Clurman has played 128 career AHL games, mostly with the Colorado Avalanche franchise, and another 62 games in the ECHL.
Update: Coach Mike Sullivan updated Letang’s status following the game. Click here for the story.
Colorado selected Clurman in the sixth round of the 2016 NHL Draft (161st overall). He signed with the Penguins as a Group 6 unrestricted free agent, with a $775,000 cap hit at the NHL level ($100,000 at the minor league level).
Clurman played 18 games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, registering five points (1-4-5) and a plus-6 rating. The right-handed d-man is 6-foot-2, 205 pounds.
Without Letang, coach Mike Sullivan heavily shuffled the Penguins’ defensive pairs. Matt Grzelcyk and Erik Karlsson were the top pairing. P.O Joseph flipped to the right side of the second pair, with Ryan Graves on the left. Clurman took the right side, with Ryan Shea on the left.
The Penguins lost to New York 6-3 at UBS Arena Saturday, and the teams are playing again 19 hours later.
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Letang missed a few shifts in the third period i think. Not sure what the injury could be or when it happened. Other than an injured ego when he put the puck in his own net, that is. 🤣
He’s with his second NHL team. Not exactly a “journeyman!”
A couple of trips through the ECHL, Group 6’d. 26 years old.
Clurman held his own today and even flashed a little offense. Maybe he can give them that depth as a right handed shot on the right side the rest of the way