| Michael Sonday. 21st August, 2008 - 6:39 pm
 Losing defenseman Ryan Whitney to injury is not good news by any means, but there may be a silver lining for the Pittsburgh Penguins that could have them reaping the benefits later this season.
The 25-year-old Whitney will be out for three to five months after having surgery on his left foot this past weekend. The Penguins will miss Whitney?s services, but the injury could open the door for a couple of up and coming defensemen. Youngsters Kristopher Letang and Alex Goligoski will have opportunities to gain valuable experience during Whitney?s absence.
The offensively gifted Letang played in 63 games with the Penguins last year, scoring six goals and adding 11 assists in limited playing time. The Rookie defenseman went through some growing pains during his first campaign but looked as if he has a bight future in the NHL. Letang has the ability to be an impact player that could excel offensively given sufficient time on the power play
Alex Goligoski, who played his college hockey at the University of Minnesota, spent most of the 2007-08 in the AHL with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Goligoski scored ten goals and chipped in 28 helpers in 70 games played. He played with the big club for three games registering a goal and an assist. With the injury to Whitney, Goligoski will be given a chance to play a regular shift at the NHL level and will, hopefully, become a consistent contributor on the Penguins' Blueline. The extra ice time will help the young defender develop confidence at the NHL level.
The Penguins have been through this scenario last year when Sidney Crosby injured his ankle. At the time no one would have thought that the injury would be a blessing in disguise. The absence of Crosby allowed Evgeni Malkin to take off the training wheels and emerge as a star in the NHL. With the injury to Whitney, Letang and Goligoski could do the same.
The Penguins are a talented team that should be able to compete for top spot in the East even without Whitney in the lineup. In the long run the surgery will allow two young players gain valuable experiences and give Whitney time to come back healthy and help the team for the stretch run. |
