Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin will be sidelined a minimum of eight weeks following surgery to repair lacerated tendons in his left ankle.
The team announced the surgery one day after Dumoulin was injured on his first shift of Saturday’s 5-2 road loss to the St. Louis Blues at the Enterprise Center.
Dumoulin was injured on his first shift of the contest. While retrieving a puck behind his own net, Dumoulin tumbled to the ice after Blues forward Zach Sanford fell onto the back of his legs.
This injury comes as the Penguins are already dealing with the absence of defenseman Justin Schultz, who is sidelined indefinitely with an undisclosed injury. Additionally, the team is dealing with long-term absences to forwards Sidney Crosby and Nick Bjugstad, each with core muscle injuries, and an undisclosed injury for forward Bryan Rust.
Dumoulin, 28, has appeared in 22 games this season and has seven points (one goal, six assists). Additionally, he averages the second-most time on ice on the team at 21:04 minutes per game this season.
In the third year of a six-year contract, Dumoulin has a salary cap hit of $4.1 million.
