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Pittsburgh Penguins get important injury update on Kris Letang and Filip Hallander
Photo credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
Filip Hallander hit the ice at Penguins practice, and after a blood clot scare, that sight lands like a win in February.
This is not a lineup change, it is a relief update.
Hallander was diagnosed with a blood clot in November and the club said he’d miss a minimum of three months.
He has been out for 42 games, and “on the ice with teammates” is the first real step back to normal.
Hallander is 25, drafted in 2018, Round 2, 58th overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Kris Letang was out there too, and the blue line felt less like survival mode.
The important part is context: Letang was placed on injured reserve with a fractured foot on January 31, and the team called it a minimum four-week absence.
He has 3-22-25 in 50 games, so when he is missing, the breakout looks slower and the man advantage loses its second wave.
Kris Letang gives the Pittsburgh Penguins a pulse
Honestly, you can feel Penguins fans wanting to believe again, but nobody wants a rushed return that turns one injury into two.
Letang skating does not mean Letang is cleared, but it does signal the rehab is trending in the right direction.
For Hallander, the hockey piece matters too, because this was never just “day-to-day,” it was a serious health problem first.
If both guys keep stacking practice days, Pittsburgh’s depth stops looking like a patch job and starts looking like actual options.
The next real checkpoint is when the schedule resumes on Thursday, February 26, and whether either player can take contact before then.
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