Penguins Injury Trouble: Pettersson to LTIR; Fedun Recalled

The Pittsburgh Penguins’ defense has been depleted by more than half. Marcus Pettersson was placed on LTIR on Monday. The team also went through its morning skate without Jeff Petry and Jan Rutta.

And that doesn’t include Dmitry Kulikov, who already was on LTIR.

Petry (upper body) went on the ice after the morning skate and is day to day, and Pettersson (lower body) and Rutta (lower body) are week to week, according to coach Mike Sullilvan.

Mark Friedman was already up on an emergency recall, and Monday the Penguins recalled Taylor Fedun, also on an emergency basis.

Sullivan is taking a glass-half-full outlook.

“I think we can rally around this,” Sullivan said. “It’s a great opportunity for some guys to step up and play more significant roles back there. It’s a great opportunity for all the rest of us to make sure that we play an inspired game, a spirited game, a game that’s stingy defensively.”

Here is the news release:

The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled defenseman Taylor Fedun from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League on an emergency basis, it was announced today by general manager Ron Hextall.

Defenseman Marcus Pettersson has been placed on long-term injured reserve retroactive to March 18.

Fedun, 34, is in his second-consecutive season as the WBS Penguins’ captain and has suited up for 53 games this year, recording three goals, seven assists and 10 points. Over the past two seasons with WBS, the defenseman has recorded eight goals, 18 assists and 26 points in 97 games.

Fedun has spent parts of 12 seasons in the AHL, picking up 49 goals, 158 assists, 207 points and a plus-41 in 453 career regular-season games. He’s served as an alternate captain for multiple teams including Rochester (2017-19), Utica (2015-16) and Oklahoma City (2013-14).

The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Fedun has played parts of seven seasons in the NHL split between the Edmonton Oilers, San Jose Sharks, Vancouver Canucks, Buffalo Sabres and Dallas Stars, appearing in 127 games where he’s recorded eight goals, 27 assists, 35 points and is plus-7.