Talbot Targets Thursday Return
Matt Bodenschatz | Pittsburgh Penguins
Nov 16, 11:16 PM | Hype this story!
The injury list for the Penguins is expected to shrink by one before the week ends.
According to Penguins web site writer Sam Kasan, forward Max Talbot has set his eyes on a Thursday season debut, though nothing is certain yet.
Kasan writes:
“He will continue working for the next few days and the team will make a decision following its Thursday morning skate as to whether or not Talbot will return against the Senators.”
Talbot, sidelined for the team’s first 21 games, underwent shoulder surgery in July and was originally pegged to miss four to six months. If he returns Thursday, he’ll be right on pace with the optimistic side of the projection.
Comments
DaBich
Nov 17, 06:43 AM
OMG That’s great news…I don’t want him to rush back and re-injure his shoulder, but we sure could use him.
Nate
Nov 17, 09:17 AM
SuppaStaaar!
Matt Bodenschatz
Nov 17, 09:49 AM
@Dabich, I truly doubt they’re rushing anything. With the recent rash of injuries the Penguins have seen, my guess is we’ll see the team be overly cautious and hold guys out longer than necessary to be 100 percent certain they are ready.
And, remember, Talbot was cleared for contact last week, which means when he returns, he’ll have had a week’s worth of full contact practice. If there are any problems, you better believe he won’t suit up.
bag o' pucks
Nov 17, 11:28 AM
Max is the kind of guy that gives a lift to a team just by the life he’ll bring to practices, warm-ups, etc. He just puts a smile on guys’ faces. That’s a good thing.
nazkev83
Nov 17, 12:25 PM
Great news to hear Talbot coming back. Where do you guys think he’ll fit into the current lineup? Personally, I like what the Pens have done with Malkin right now (although I’d like to see him on Staal’s wing to see if he can coax some offense out of Jordan). If Talbot can center the third line, we could have something like:
Fedotenko – Crosby – Bourque/Tangradi/Caputi
Guerin – Staal – Malkin
Cooke – Talbot – Dupois
Rupp – Adams – Letestu/Godard
I know it will never happen, as the Pens seem pretty content with not bringing up their young prospects, but one can dream that they might try something like this out with all their injuries.
DaBich
Nov 17, 12:44 PM
Yup Matt, I think you’re right. It would be great to see him Thursday in Ottawa.
Pucks ~ heck yeah! He’s a morale booster. He puts a smile on my face too =) (Moq, don’t say a word! lol)
Nazkev83 ~ One can wish can’t we?
Chris A
Nov 17, 12:51 PM
At this point Tangradi has done nothing to warrant a callup but I would definitely like to see Caputi given a shot with Bourque in dumped into the pressbox.
I think you put Talbot with Cooke and Staal to get something similar to the nightmare line going again. Leave Crosby and Malkin together with Fedotenko/Guerin for now.
Matt Bodenschatz
Nov 17, 04:05 PM
@Naz, welcome to FF! Stick around, I think you’ll enjoy the discussions generated by the regulars here.
As for your lineup, I think you might be getting a bit ahead of yourself inserting Tangradi or Caputi into the lineup. Neither was promoted during the recent rash of injuries, so it seems unlikely either will be promoted as players begin to get healthy and return to the lineup.
I think the most probable and logical lineup would include keeping Malkin and Crosby together for the short term, as they have been pretty good together and have allowed Staal’s line to stay away from strong defense pairings, thus opening up good opportunities for that unit.
Fedotenko – Crosby – Malkin
Bourque – Staal – Guerin
Cooke – Talbot – Dupuis
Rupp – Adams – Godard
Letestu likely will return to the AHL.
@Chris, Tangradi has been injured a good portion of the season and most recently has been sick. Saying he hasn’t done anything to warrant a callup is a bit misleading. He hasn’t played poorly — he just hasn’t played much.
I do agree that Caputi would be a nice replacement for Bourque, who I have not been the least bit impressed with. In my opinion, he’ll be on waivers when all three of Kennedy, Kunitz and Talbot return.
bag o' pucks
Nov 17, 04:34 PM
I’d expect Max to start out on the 4th line, until he gets his rhthym and conditioning back. He hasn’t played at all this year, and practice isn’t game play. Sure, an occasional shift with Geno, but probably not more than ten minutes per game for the first couple games. After that, his play will dictate where and how much he plays.
bag o' pucks
Nov 17, 04:43 PM
Oh, and Letestu was returned to WB/S today.
Chris A
Nov 18, 12:01 PM
@ Matt, I didn’t say Tangradi has played poorly. Saying he hasn’t done anything to warrant a callup does not imply he has played badly.
I hope you’re right about Bourque and waivers.
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