Penguins hold their breath after concerning Kris Letang injury report

The tweet making the rounds says Kris Letang is day to day with an upper body injury, and he did not practice Tuesday.

CBS Sports backed it up with the same update, day to day and out of practice.

Letang is 38, a 2005 third-round pick by Pittsburgh, and he still takes the hard minutes that keep the whole structure upright.

When he is not out there, the breakouts get slower and the first pass gets riskier, especially when forecheck pressure comes in waves.

You can see the clip here.

This is the spot where the Penguins miss his feel on the man advantage, the quick walk at the blue line and that head-up fake that buys a shooting lane.

Last season, he put up 9 G, 21 A, and 30 P in 74 games, which shows the offense is still there even as the miles add up.

As a fan, this one hits the nerves fast because the margin on the blue line already feels thin most nights.

If he cannot go, the right side minutes have to be spread around, and that usually means someone is playing a rung higher than ideal.

Watch for shorter shifts and safer pinches, because losing a veteran outlet pass can force wingers to chip pucks out instead of exiting with control.

Day to day sounds mild, but upper body stuff can mess with stick battles, one-timers, and even simple rim pickups.

The Penguins also have to protect the pairing map, because one shaky duo can drag the whole five-man game into scramble mode.

The good news is it is January, not April, and the team has time to manage this without rushing him.

If Letang misses a game, the next one becomes a pretty simple test, can Pittsburgh keep the slot clean and survive on special teams.

Either way, keep an eye on Wednesday and Thursday skates for any sign he is back in a regular jersey.

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