Letang Activated from LTIR, Penguins Make Personnel Moves

The Pittsburgh Penguins Tuesday afternoon activated defenseman Kris Letang from Long Term Injured Reserve, clearing the way for him to return to the lineup Tuesday night against the Florida Panthers at PPG Paints Arena.

Letang has been out since Dec. 28. It would be logical that he will take the pregame warmup and, barring a setback, be in the lineup.

The Penguins, in corresponding moves, placed injured defenseman Jan Rutta on LTIR and injured winger Kasperi Kapanen on IR.

Here is the news release from the Penguins:

The Pittsburgh Penguins have activated defenseman Kris Letang off of long-term injured reserve, it was announced today by General Manager Ron Hextall.

Defenseman Jan Rutta has been placed on long-term injured reserve retroactive to Jan. 14 and forward Kasperi Kapanen has been placed on injured reserve retroactive to Jan. 18.

Letang, 35, leads all Penguins defensemen this season with 16 points (2G-14A) in 29 games and averages a team-high 24:32 minutes of ice time per game. The defenseman recorded four points (1G-3A) in his last six games prior to getting injured on Dec. 28 agaiTnst Detroit. He enters tonight’s game on the verge of becoming just the seventh player in franchise history to record 400 even-strength points (399 EVP), and just the third active defenseman to do so (Brent Burns, 502; Erik Karlsson, 452).

The 6-foot, 201-pound Letang, who is in his 17^thseason with the Penguins, has recorded 146 goals, 520 assists and 666 points in 970 career games. The six-time NHL All Star owns every single significant team record for a blueliner in the regular season and playoffs.

The Penguins return to action tonight as they host the Florida Panthers at PPG Paints Arena. Puck drop is set for 7:00 PM.