Letang to start practice with the Team

**airleg1** · Jan-16-2012, 04:32 PM

Penns Inside Scoop Tweet

#Pens GM Shero tells @MarkMaddenX he anticipates Letang to practice with the team Tues -Sam

**airleg1** · Jan-16-2012, 05:26 PM

Letang fully cleared

Monday, 16 January 2012 16:34
Written by Shelly Anderson Post Gazette

Penguins general manager Ray Shero said today that top defenseman Kris Letang, one of the team's core players, not only will join the team for its game-day skate Tuesday but is fully medically cleared.
Letang, who had a concussion and has been out since Nov. 26, won't play Tuesday because he'll need at least some time to get "comfortable and confident" in practice, Shero said, but he should be in the lineup soon. Although he hasn't practiced, Letang has been undergoing rigorous on-ice workouts. Just today, Shero said, there was one with coach Dan Bylsma.
This is great news for the Penguins. Letang is perfect for the team's system and is the quarterback of the power play.
Who knows? Perhaps the Penguins will get healthy for the stretch run and playoffs yet.

**Kipper** · Jan-16-2012, 05:42 PM

Let me get this straight. Kris Letang like Sidney Crosby has been out for weeks... A month or more i believe and hasnt skatedbin practice with the team nut os cleared of a concussion and can take physical activty ASAP? Does this seem off? I mean crosby cant look at an ice rink without being in a protective bubble and letang was cleared to play... Not practice based on? They wont let Sid play in a real game without taling the abuse physically in practice.

Just seems odd. Its not like Letang is craig adams hes a core guy. I know every concussion is different but Letang has been out for so long i expected full crosby treatment and instead it felt like they just threw him out

**airleg1** · Jan-16-2012, 06:35 PM

I think that the Pens have the players safety/future of the club in mind (healthy players=healthy season).

One can only speculate but the amount of injuries to our star players might have dampened the support for this from the front office seeing as the Pens have fallen to the middle of the pack and time is running out to regain the lead.

I know that its frustrating, but I hope that since weve already been waiting this long for healthy returns that the team continue to not rush the players back into action.

Two seasons knowing that the Pens have the talent but not healthy to reap the rewards just plain sucks but this is what most teams feel about their sports teams every year..

Besides just look at Big Ben to see what happens when you rush your star players, sometimes its best to wait it out.

Its great being a Pittsburgh sports fan of recent years where its expected to have two of three sports teams finishing at or near the top

**Candii** · Jan-16-2012, 10:42 PM

I think it's just cause Sidney Crosby is Sidney Crosby... I don't care either way, I'm just SOOOO EXCITED.
I feel like things are really looking up these days. A couple wins. Neal's back (and contributing like an animal). LETANG's back! <3

Oh and hey all you cool cats!
I got back to school yesterday and didn't get my Internet fixed up until today, so sorry about not making a game day thread appearance.

**Erzo77** · Jan-17-2012, 01:00 PM

Great news. Having Letang back will bring Orpiks game to another level aswell.

**Kipper** · Jan-17-2012, 01:10 PM

Originally Posted by Erzo77

Great news. Having Letang back will bring Orpiks game to another level aswell.

The past couple of games I thought Orpik looked pretty good. The more him and Engelland started to learn each other, the better than pairing was....

What Letang's return should do is get Ben Lovjoy out of the lineup

. The Niskanen/Lovejoy pairing has looked really weak and considering how well Nisky looked early in the season, giving him a stay at home guy should improve that pairing.

Letang's return is going to do nothing but help the Pens out Offensively, Defensively, the transition game, the Power Play, the Penalty Kill. It'll take him some games to get back to normal, probably will like semi crappy tonight, but it's Carolina where semi-crappy lives

**Kipper** · Jan-17-2012, 01:13 PM

Originally Posted by Candii

I think it's just cause Sidney Crosby is Sidney Crosby... I don't care either way, I'm just SOOOO EXCITED.
I feel like things are really looking up these days. A couple wins. Neal's back (and contributing like an animal). LETANG's back! <3

Oh and hey all you cool cats!
I got back to school yesterday and didn't get my Internet fixed up until today, so sorry about not making a game day thread appearance.

I understand the whole "Cause it's Sid" but like I was saying, Letang isn't some unimportant player on the roster either. I'm really shocked that he wasn't in there participating in physical practices before they said "you're ready to play". How can you evaluate one player with a concussion using no physical contact and do it with another?

**Kipper** · Jan-17-2012, 01:15 PM

Originally Posted by airleg1

I think that the Pens have the players safety/future of the club in mind (healthy players=healthy season).

One can only speculate but the amount of injuries to our star players might have dampened the support for this from the front office seeing as the Pens have fallen to the middle of the pack and time is running out to regain the lead.

I know that its frustrating, but I hope that since weve already been waiting this long for healthy returns that the team continue to not rush the players back into action.

Two seasons knowing that the Pens have the talent but not healthy to reap the rewards just plain sucks but this is what most teams feel about their sports teams every year..

Besides just look at Big Ben to see what happens when you rush your star players, sometimes its best to wait it out.

Its great being a Pittsburgh sports fan of recent years where its expected to have two of three sports teams finishing at or near the top

There's plenty of times when players shouldn't get rushed back I agree.. I'm more curious as to why they treat physical contact like the grand daddy of all of things when evaluating Crosby but didn't do it with Letang despite Letang being a very lengthy time for a concussion

**Erzo77** · Jan-17-2012, 01:21 PM

Originally Posted by Kipper

The past couple of games I thought Orpik looked pretty good. The more him and Engelland started to learn each other, the better than pairing was....

What Letang's return should do is get Ben Lovjoy out of the lineup

. The Niskanen/Lovejoy pairing has looked really weak and considering how well Nisky looked early in the season, giving him a stay at home guy should improve that pairing.

Letang's return is going to do nothing but help the Pens out Offensively, Defensively, the transition game, the Power Play, the Penalty Kill. It'll take him some games to get back to normal, probably will like semi crappy tonight, but it's Carolina where semi-crappy lives

Your right. Orpik has looked better the last few games but him and Letang know eachother very well and Letang going back with Orpik will make Letangs return much easier. Personally I would like to see Engo and Nisky our 3rd pairing. Now we just have to get Martin to stop playing like such a sissy and our D core could be set.

**Erzo77** · Jan-17-2012, 01:23 PM

Originally Posted by Kipper

There's plenty of times when players shouldn't get rushed back I agree.. I'm more curious as to why they treat physical contact like the grand daddy of all of things when evaluating Crosby but didn't do it with Letang despite Letang being a very lengthy time for a concussion

I think it just has to do with "all concussions are different".

**Kipper** · Jan-17-2012, 01:30 PM

Originally Posted by Erzo77

Your right. Orpik has looked better the last few games but him and Letang know eachother very well and Letang going back with Orpik will make Letangs return much easier. Personally I would like to see Engo and Nisky our 3rd pairing. Now we just have to get Martin to stop playing like such a sissy and our D core could be set.

Yeah that $9 million dollar Martin/Michalek unit hasn't exactly been worth the $9 million they were paid. any improvement there will be a good thing for sure. artin has looked bad this year, Michalek has looked even worse, especially early on. No real good explanation here.. I'll allow the excuse when the injuries set in and the lineups were constantly changing and guys to skate with WBS guys. Now it's time to get on.

Engelland/Nisky should be the 3rd pairing. They are a nice balance, just like Letang/Orik and Martin/Michalek provide a nice balance of more of an offensive 2way guy with a more stay at home type.

**Kipper** · Jan-17-2012, 01:32 PM

Originally Posted by Erzo77

I think it just has to do with "all concussions are different".

No doubt about that but mostly all concussions are caused by some sort of physical impact and most of the symptoms, the main, common symptoms of concussions are rooted in one's physical activities. That's where I'm at a loss. You'd think that they would've wanted to evaluate Letang in some physical practices first before throwing him into the games.... unless Letang has been practicing physically and it's not really been said?