Penguins provide Kris Letang update after heart surgery

Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang won’t play in the team’s final game of the regular season after the veteran underwent a heart procedure on Tuesday, GM Kyle Dubas confirmed.

“Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang underwent successful surgery, it was announced today by President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Kyle Dubas,” the team wrote in the official release.

“Letang had successful closure of a patent foramen ovale (PFO; small hole in the heart). The procedure was performed at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital by interventional cardiologist Dr. Conrad Smith. The expected recovery time is four to six weeks.”

The surgery was first discovered after Letang had a stroke in January of 2014, confirmed The Athletic’s Rob Rossi on Wednesday. Letang suffered a second stroke in 2022 that cost him over a month of the season.

“According to UPMC, all humans have this hole before birth, but for most people, the hole closes at birth or shortly after,” Rossi wrote. “When the hole was first discovered, Letang was told by a cardiologist that he could put off the surgery and continue playing. Facing a third consecutive extended offseason after missing the playoffs, Letang opted to have the surgery now so he can train regularly this summer before NHL teams reconvene in September.”

Letang played a season-low 17:21 in a 4-1 loss against the Boston Bruins on Sunday. He missed practice on Tuesday because of what head coach Mike Sullivan called “a medical appointment.”

The Penguins will miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a third consecutive time in 2024-25 — that’s the first time it’s happened during Letang’s nearly 19-year career.

Penguins once again on outside looking in

It’s been a tough campaign for Letang, who has chipped in just nine goals and 30 points over 74 games this season. That’s his lowest offensive totals in a year where he’s played 70 or more games since 2009-10.

Pittsburgh is trying to strike a balance between retooling on the fly and remaining competitive in the twilight of Letang, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin’s careers.

But that’s turning out to be easier said than done; the Penguins will finish with another losing record and seventh place in the Metropolitan Division.

At 33-36-12, no one is too happy with how the season has gone in Pennsylvania. After making the playoffs in each of Letang’s first 16 seasons, this will be a third consecutive one he and the franchise have missed.

Now 37 years old, Letang is signed for three more seasons, and he’ll make $6.1 million against the cap in each of those years. He owns a full no-movement clause and is likely to retire a Penguin, regardless of how the next couple of campaigns go.

The Pens will complete their 2024-25 season on Thursday night — the final day of the NHL’s schedule — against Alex Ovechkin and the visiting Washington Capitals at PPG Paints Arena. Puck is set to drop just past 7:00 p.m. ET.