The End Is Near

Mark Letestu has been falling
out of favor under coach
Dan Bylsma for months, now

 The Pittsburgh Penguins have traded young centerman Mark Letestu to the Columbus Blue Jackets for a 4^th round draft pick.  Letestu, a player who has been plummeting out of favor in the ‘Burgh since last spring, was given a 2-year, $1,250,000 contract extension by Penguins’ GM Ray Shero back in January.  In addition to the Pens shipping out Letestu, the team also distributed a press release earlier today stating that Dustin Jeffrey and enforcer Steve MacIntyre had been sent to the Penguins’ AHL farm team in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on a “conditioning” stint.  No players were recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

 So the question must be asked, what’s the cause for a successful team’s sudden creation of roster openings in Pittsburgh?  Allow me to jump to the fairly obvious conclusion.  Sidney Crosby is (almost) ready to play hockey again.

 Crosby, who has not played a game since January 5^th, 2011, sent the hockey world into a frenzy when he didn’t rule out this Friday’s game against Dallas as his possible return date.  After all, 11/11 was the day many people predicted he would see NHL ice again, but to the same token, we cannot take his quote regarding the specific game in which he’d play again, “Anyone’s guess is as good as mine,” as insincere.

 Tyler Kennedy, who has been suffering from concussion symptoms since mid-October, started skating again last week.  So these roster moves could foreshadow his return just as much as they may hint at Crosby’s.  The one word that best describes #87’s concussion is “unpredictable”.  These moves do not point to the immediate reemergence of Sidney Crosby into Pittsburgh’s daily line-up.  No one should get discouraged all of a sudden if 11/11 rolls around and Sid isn’t on the ice in a game.  No one should get discouraged if 11/15 is Crosby-less, either.  These moves only point to three things that we can say for certain: Letestu had underperformed to the point where the Penguins had to deal him, Pittsburgh’s injured players in general have been improving, and even if 11/11, 11/12, 11/15, or whenever comes and doesn’t have Sidney Crosby with a game played, rest assured we will see him before 12/1.

 And you can run and tell that, homeboy.

The Pens' sudden roster moves point to Sidney Crosby, Tyler Kennedy, and most of their injured players' improving health.

The Saga Continues...

Crosby recorded 66 points in 41 games before
his concussion.  His 1.61 points per game
led the entire NHL in 2010-11.

... but it looks like it will be over soon!
 The biggest story in the hockey world broke earlier today, when Sidney Crosby was noticeably not wearing his white no-contact helmet during practice this morning.  It was not long after the team left the ice that reporters and cameras swarmed Crosby's stall asking the question, "Are you cleared for contact?"  With no hesitation, Sid the Kid officially told the media that after meeting with specialists in Pittsburgh, he has finally been cleared for full contact.
 The news spread quickly, as expected.  Twitter blew up as every reporter wanted to get the word out there as soon as he/she could, Facebook status after Facebook status from giddy Pens fans flew on the interweb, and it even managed to take the top story on the noon edition of ESPN's SportsCenter (gasp!  Hockey the top story on SportsCenter!?)
 Crosby was also quick to point out that he has only been cleared for such contact in practice, so the date we'll see #87 in a Penguins uniform for an actual game is still uncertain.  Many in the Pittsburgh media, including super genius Mark Madden, had predicted November 11th (a home game against the Dallas Stars) as Crosby's return date.  After Sid's news broke today. a lot of people are sticking to that prediction.  Others have said they still don't expect Crosby back any time before Thanksgiving.  Fair enough.  This injury has been on an absolutely unpredictable schedule, and I would not expect that to suddenly change with the color of his helmet.  Whenever he is able to play again, though, he will provide a huge boost to an already threatening Penguins team that goes without saying.
 These concussions are proving to become more and more confusing and incalculable every year, and this now goes beyond one high profile injury.  Long-term post concussion syndrome-related injuries have popped up all over the NHL over the past few seasons, mostly with enforcers, but many of which have flown under the radar as a result of Crosby's concussion saga.  Here's a look at a few other big name players who have been out for far too long, but have been overlooked due to all the hubbub over 87.

Savard has not played a game in
the NHL since January 22, 2011

MARC SAVARD
 This is truly one of the saddest examples of what a career plagued by concussions can do to you.  Marc Savard was one of the most talented playmakers in the game, a player who could thread the needle on any pass, whose talent has been chopped down and hacked away by concussions.
 Savard already had a history of head injuries coming into March 7, 2010, but what would happen that night would truly change the course of his life.  Penguins forward Matt Cooke delivered a straight blow to Savard's head on the backcheck, instantly knocking the Bruins star unconscious.  It has since become one of the most infamous hits in hockey history, and inspired Rule 41 regarding hits to the head. Savard obviously received a concussion from the vicious hit, one that put him out until the 2nd round of the playoffs.  Many believe Savard came back in played despite still exhibiting concussion symptoms.
 Savard then began showing intense signs of post concussion syndrome during the offseason, and had to miss several games at the start of the 2010-11 season.  Once he returned, though, it didn't take long for Savard's well-documented history of head injuries to return to the headlines.  On January 22, 2011, Matt Hunwick of the Colorado Avalanche connected on a hit with Savard in the corner, a check that would give Savard yet another concussion.  Since that day, Savard has not seen NHL ice.
 Savard missed out on the Bruins' magical Stanley Cup run, and the team announced over ther summer that Savard is expected to miss all of the 2011-12 season.

Perron has not played a game in
the NHL since November 4, 2010

DAVID PERRON
 This is an excellent example of long-term injuries flying under the radar because of all the attention Crosby (and even Savard) has gotten.  Perron was originally a 1st round selection of the St. Louis Blues in 2007, and was developing into quite an impressive player, posting 50 points in the 2008-09 season and 47 points in '09-10.  All of that potential came to a screeching halt on November 4, 2010.
 The San Jose Sharks were visiting the Blues that night, and Joe Thornton took a boarding penalty at 3:22 of the 2nd period.  No big deal.  However, right upon leaving the sin bin, Big Joe laid into an unsuspecting Perron, who was skating quickly up the ice, looking behind to catch a pass.  Perron hit the ice, and laid there motionless.  A fight erupted between Logan Couture and Alex Pietrangelo (two rather unlikely combatants,) and Thornton received a 5 minute major hit to the head penalty as well as a game misconduct.
 Needless to say, David Perron suffered a severe concussion and has yet to play a game since the night he was laid out.  Perron was on pace to set a career-high 56 points before the injury.

Markov has not played a game in
the NHL since November 13, 2010

ANDREI MARKOV
 Okay, so this one isn't a concussion-related injury.  But still, it's surprising how a long-term injury to a player of Markov's caliber in the Montréal media market can go so unnoticed!  Markov has had to deal with many injuries throughout his playing career, probably more serious ones than most players will ever have in their lifetime.  But his most recent troubles have proven to be the most, well... troubling.
 Canadiens fans could not wait to get the injury-prone defenseman back into their line-up after he was knocked out for an extended period of time after receiving a hard check from the Penguins' Matt Cooke (this was a clean hit, mind you,) in the playoffs the previous year.  Markov only returned for 7 games, because a knee-to-knee collision with Carolina's captain, Eric Staal, put him on the IR for the remainder of the '10-11 season.
 Markov has been in physical therapy sessions and rehabbing his injured knee since the day he was cleared to do so by doctors, but he still has not played since November 13, 2010, the night he collided with the oldest sibling of the Staal family.

IN OTHER NEWS

• TOR offseason UFA signing Tim Connolly's injury is worse than originally expected, TSN reports.  Stroy here: http://www.tsn.ca/toronto/blogs/jonas_siegel/?id=378001
• PIT resigns Chris Kunitz to a 2-year contract extension with an annual cap-hit of $3.725 mil.
• NYI reassigns 2011 draft pick Ryan Strome back to the Niagara IceDogs (OHL).
• CAR reassigns 2011 draft pick Ryan Murphy back to the Kitchener Rangers (OHL).
• Martin Erat of NSH is placed on injured reserve with an unspecified upper-body injury.
• Preseason stand-out Cam Atkinson assigned to the Springfield Falcons of the AHL by CBJ.