Talbot Out 4-5 Months After Shoulder Surgery

[Killer]

We survived without Gonchar for the whole year - this too will pass.

Talbot's fill-in will be internal

Shero does not foresee adding a veteran forward to step in while Max Talbot recovers from surgery he had yesterday to repair a dislocated left shoulder.

"I'm happy where our forward group is right now, being able to bring back almost everybody," Shero said.

The preliminary prognosis is that Talbot will be out until sometime between early November and early December, meaning he could miss the first one to two months of the 2009-10 season.

The Penguins seem likely to pursue the option of placing him on long-term injured reserve, meaning he would miss at least 24 days and 10 games. That would enable them to go over the NHL salary cap by as much as Talbot's cap hit -- $1.05 million -- until he returns.

Shero appears more interested in having coach Dan Bylsma reconfigure his lines with the forwards he has -- everyone from the Cup team except wingers Petr Sykora and Miroslav Satan are under contract, and physical winger Michael Rupp has been added -- plus perhaps a young player on a two-way contract who has a strong training camp.

Because he does not feel the need to bring in a forward, Shero can concentrate on using some of the nearly $3 million the Penguins have remaining under the salary cap to land a defenseman. One free agent the team has shown interest in is Jay McKee, formerly of St. Louis, which will have to pick up a portion of his salary after buying him out.

"We've looked at a number of veteran defensemen," Shero said. "Or maybe it's a trade."


http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09189/982397-61.stm

[Steel Head]

McKee is okay but kind of injury prone. A cheap 1-year contract for him wouldn't be a bad move

I actually haven't seen him play in a while. Anyone watch the Blues playoff games?

[HometownGal]

Originally Posted by Killer

We survived without Gonchar for the whole year - this too will pass.

While it's great to have such a positive 'tude, Killer, if you will remember, the Pens were headed downhill fast until Gonchar returned to the lineup (and the coaching change was made). However, since Serg is the Pens best D-man and the QB of the PP, his absence was felt a little deeper than Talbor's will most likely be, as there are a couple of reliable forwards in Wilkes Barre.

I hope Max has a successful and fast recovery. I'm going to miss his energy on the ice and his antics on the bench.

[Killer]

Only 167 Shopping Days left till Christmas - where's my Stanley Cup hat?