Pittsburgh Penguins: Paul Martin out 6 weeks; Jarome Iginla to play vs. Isles
By Matt Shetler
As the Pittsburgh Penguins prepare to make it 15 wins in a row Saturday afternoon against the New York Islanders, it’s a case of good news and bad news.
First comes the bad news as it relates to defenseman Paul Martin.
Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma confirmed that Martin has a broken bone, although didn’t specify which bone, and will need surgery that will keep out of the lineup for six weeks.
#Pens coach Bylsma: Martin broke a bone and needs surgery. 6 week timeframe.
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 30, 2013
March 30, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Jarome Iginla speaks at a press conference before playing the New York Islanders at the CONSOL Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
The loss of Martin is a big blow to the Pens blue line as he has been playing rather well. As it stands now, he will miss the first round of the playoffs.
It is a big loss, but the presence of Simon Despres will help fill the void. It also makes the Douglas Murray acquisition seem even bigger now.
There’s no such thing as a good injury, but the timing is good as the trade deadline is still a few days away. If Penguins’ general manager Ray Shero decides to target a defenseman, which seems unlikely, the team has $15 million of cap space to do so.
Martin was placed on IR to make room for Jarome Iginla, which is the good news of the day.
Iginla will make his Penguins debut Saturday afternoon and will be used on the Evgeni Malkin-James Neal line, which has now become a very dangerous three-man unit.