Injury Report: Letang had a stroke

Speaking Moistly

What a terrible image.
Feb 19, 2013
39,728
7,402
Injured Reserve
The local news just had a report from Rossi saying that the Pens are moving forward as if Letang won't be back this season and that they haven't ruled out a surgery to close the hole in his heart. It is Rossi. Take it with a grain of salt.

It just seems like more of Rossi saying some generic ****, safe and generic. I could do it.

I don't expect Letang to be back this season though.
 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Registered User
Sep 5, 2008
28,726
2,346
Certainly it's not the best situation but we still have draft picks and prospects that we can move.

Our picks and prospects aren't valuable enough to move. Meaning, they're more important to us moving forward than the junkyard rental find we're likely to get back in return.

Who do we move? Despres? A relative unknown, who has proven nothing. Pouliot? Decent defensive prospect, not exactly a huge value. Bennett? He's probably not worth much of anything, and he's our only legit offensive prospect worth mentioning. Seems a bit inefficient.

And picks? Tyler Kennedy fetched a 2nd rounder. Picks aren't worth much if they're not a top-5 pick.
 

Michael8771*

Guest
Our picks and prospects aren't valuable enough to move. Meaning, they're more important to us moving forward than the junkyard rental find we're likely to get back in return.

Who do we move? Despres? A relative unknown, who has proven nothing. Pouliot? Decent defensive prospect, not exactly a huge value. Bennett? He's probably not worth much of anything, and he's our only legit offensive prospect worth mentioning. Seems a bit inefficient.

And picks? Tyler Kennedy fetched a 2nd rounder. Picks aren't worth much if they're not a top-5 pick.
It depends on how a guy like Despres or Dumoulin is viewed. If you package Dumoulin and a number one this year to a team that's building for the future, you might get a decent return. BG came here for what a 3rd rounder? Iggy came here for a first and two prospects that probably won't see the NHL for quite a while if ever.
 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Registered User
Sep 5, 2008
28,726
2,346
It depends on how a guy like Despres or Dumoulin is viewed. If you package Dumoulin and a number one this year to a team that's building for the future, you might get a decent return. BG came here for what a 3rd rounder? Iggy came here for a first and two prospects that probably won't see the NHL for quite a while if ever.

BG was a rental. he might have stuck around, but make no mistake, he was a rental. Same with Iggy, pure rental, who wanted out of Calgary (and made it known) to try to win a Cup. He picked Pittsburgh.

And if a team is rebuilding, why would they be willing to trade anything of value? We shouldn't be looking for rentals. We shouldn't be looking for "band-aid" solutions. We need to fix problems, not glance over them until they're glaringly apparent again.
 

Michael8771*

Guest
BG was a rental. he might have stuck around, but make no mistake, he was a rental. Same with Iggy, pure rental, who wanted out of Calgary (and made it known) to try to win a Cup. He picked Pittsburgh.

And if a team is rebuilding, why would they be willing to trade anything of value? We shouldn't be looking for rentals. We shouldn't be looking for "band-aid" solutions. We need to fix problems, not glance over them until they're glaringly apparent again.
Ideally I agree, but under the circumstances we may have to modify things a bit. We shouldn't just throw our chances away this season and continue to wait. Sid and Geno aren't getting any younger. We are (or should be) a win now team and have a win now mentality. We have plenty of defensive prospects. This also is suppose to be a weak draft. So if we have to part with a Dumoulin AND first rounder then so be it. The Letang situation has obviously hindered us other than the extra cap space.
 

Captain Hook

Registered User
Jul 12, 2007
15,465
398
Times have changed since Shero got Guerin for a 3rd. Shero specifically mentioned that himself last year after the deadline. He was talking about how bad the market has become for buyers and that he thought a player like Guerin that went for so little in 2009 would have gone for a 1st rounder at last years trade deadline because of how bad the market was. I think he was exaggerating a little but probably not much.
 

Michael8771*

Guest
Times have changed since Shero got Guerin for a 3rd. Shero specifically mentioned that himself last year after the deadline. He was talking about how bad the market has become for buyers and that he thought a player like Guerin that went for so little in 2009 would have gone for a 1st rounder at last years trade deadline because of how bad the market was. I think he was exaggerating a little but probably not much.
Well, we got Iggy and IMO it didn't exactly gut us as far as high level prospects. Again, this isn't optimal, but it might be necessary to go that route. I just think staying pat is sort of waving the white flag. We have holes to fill upfront, if we don't do something at the TDL, We'll be going into the PO's in a vary precarious position as it pertains to personnel.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Mo Wanchuk

Embrace the Hate
Mar 16, 2009
1,944
0
Palm Isle
Well, we got Iggy and IMO it didn't exactly gut us as far as high level prospects. Again, this isn't optimal, but it might be necessary to go that route. I just think staying pat is sort of waving the white flag. We have holes to fill upfront, if we don't do something at the TDL, We'll be going into the PO's in a vary precarious position as it pertains to personnel.

Listen, you have to realize Iginla picked Pittsburgh. Calgary's hands were tied and Shero was in the drivers seat. You cannot use that trade as a basis for anything. If someone like Vanek says he wants to go to Pittsburgh and nowhere else fine. Then it's apples to apples.

I have a feeling we will go dumpster diving and grab a Seto or some other middling winger and knowing Shero a Dman. But I wouldn't hold my breath that hes gonna light the league up with some grand trade. Not this year.
 

Jaded-Fan

Registered User
Mar 18, 2004
53,020
14,861
Pittsburgh
I am kinda scratching my head on why they haven't had the procedure to fix the hole in his heart yet.

What in the world are they waiting for?

It will be six weeks after the procedure before he can look to try and play again.
 

Speaking Moistly

What a terrible image.
Feb 19, 2013
39,728
7,402
Injured Reserve
I am kinda scratching my head on why they haven't had the procedure to fix the hole in his heart yet.

What in the world are they waiting for?

It will be six weeks after the procedure before he can look to try and play again.

IDK, there's information they didn't release, more tests, they may elect not to fix the hole (test results), he's on medication right now, it's his choice, etc.? He had it, it's scheduled for later? :dunno:
 

WhoDaresWins

Registered User
Nov 9, 2008
187
0
Pittsburgh
If you haven’t had a stroke and you just happen to be having an ultrasound of your heart, you’ve got a one in four chance that they’ll find a PFO. What do they do about it? Usually nothing. If it’s small and you’re asymptomatic, the risk of fixing it or putting you on medication outweighs the benefit. If it’s huge, it’ll probably get fixed. That’s accomplished either with open heart surgery or with a small device that’s inserted into the hole by way of a catheter threaded through major vessels in the groin up into the heart. If you’ve had a stroke and they find a PFO, then the first step is antiplatelet therapy, and that’s why six weeks isn’t a ridiculous estimate. Antiplatelet therapy is not anticoagulation. It’s aspirin.

http://blogs.thescore.com/nhl/2014/02/10/the-quiet-room-kris-letangs-mysterious-illness-a-stroke/

The author is an Emergency Medicine resident so she's not just someone guessing on a blog. It's a great article.
 

Mr Jiggyfly

Registered User
Jan 29, 2004
34,436
19,483
http://blogs.thescore.com/nhl/2014/02/10/the-quiet-room-kris-letangs-mysterious-illness-a-stroke/

The author is an Emergency Medicine resident so she's not just someone guessing on a blog. It's a great article.

What I learned after clicking that link:

St. Louis legs are huge:

ku-xlarge.jpg


Some guy named Tyson Chandler has chicken legs:

ku-xlarge.png
 

jmelm

HFBoards Sponsor
Sponsor
Feb 27, 2002
13,418
3,828
Toronto, Canada
I am kinda scratching my head on why they haven't had the procedure to fix the hole in his heart yet.

What in the world are they waiting for?

It will be six weeks after the procedure before he can look to try and play again.


I agree that the most seemingly sensible solution is to do the procedure ASAP, so I'm thinking that perhaps they are first giving him a course of blood thinners to eliminate/mitigate concerns of any pre-existing clots, and then they may wish to have a week or two after cessation of the medication prior to initiating surgery.

I have no idea what medication or dose he is taking, but even with certain natural compounds or over the counters NSAIDS, they may want 1-2 weeks off of that medication protocol prior to any medical procedure.
 

cygnus47

Registered User
Sep 14, 2013
7,594
2,690
They haven't closed it because its usually an unnecessary procedure. The link between clots/strokes and PFOs (the hole) is tenuous. It isn't an independent risk factor for stroke and the procedure itself comes with the risk of post-operative strokes. You don't just operate on people "just in case".

He'll be assessed and if the docs feel like he's at high risk for further strokes they'll consider the surgery seriously. 1 in 5 people have a PFO, there are almost certainly dozens of NHL players that have the same issue but haven't had strokes. Should they be operated on?
 

Crafton

Liver-Eating Johnson
May 6, 2010
9,842
110
San Francisco

Seth Rorabaugh ‏@emptynetters 40s
Letang said the day before traveling to LA his wife found him on the ground. His mother in law (a nurse) was present and attended to him.

https://twitter.com/emptynetters/status/439082269597511680

Pittsburgh Penguins ‏@penguins 3m
Letang: "Having another battery of tests in 2-3 weeks and then we'll make a decision from there. I'm going day by day." #Pens

https://twitter.com/penguins/status/439081700950556672
 

cheesedanish87

Registered User
Jun 27, 2012
10,797
2,157
Pittsburgh
Seems like the smart thing to do for Letang would be to sit out the rest of the year, no reason to rush back from a stroke.


From a hockey point of view i also think its a good thing if Letang sits out the year, his cap space could help the pens add some forward depth.
 

Speaking Moistly

What a terrible image.
Feb 19, 2013
39,728
7,402
Injured Reserve
God this is awful, but these ones don't sound as horrible.

Josh Yohe ‏@JoshYohe_Trib
Letang was in good spirits. Felt comfortable with knowledge that he will play again.

Josh Yohe ‏@JoshYohe_Trib
Letang: "If I can come back this year, it will be great." Also said many hurdles must be cleared before that is an option.

Shelly Anderson ‏@pgshelly
Letang: [Docs] said that my being 26 and having a stroke, it’s a small percentage, but the chance that I get back to normal is really high.

This season has had perspective injuries. It's a ****ing sport, someone's life and quality of life is more important. Scary.
 

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad