Jordan Staal to miss beginning of Penguins’ training camp
Jordan Staal will miss the beginning of the Pittsburgh’s training camp with a foot injury. The 6ft 4in centre, who had 49 points last season (21 goals, 28 assists), had a tendon in his foot lacerated while playing in the Eastern Conference semi-finals. During the off-season, the area became infected, and required immediate attention.
The injury will not prevent Staal from playing in regular season games. He is expected to return to action by the time the Penguins begin their season in October.
Penguins general manager Fred Shero had nothing but praise for Staal, who continued to play on despite his injury during the play-offs.
“The fact that Jordan came back and played with this injury during the playoffs is the testament to his toughness and competitiveness,” Shero said.
“He has experienced some setbacks due to infection, but is now on the road to recovery,” added Shero. “We believe he'll be ready for the start of the regular season in October.”
Staal had played like an iron man throughout his four-year career with the Penguins. He has missed only one game, and is a fierce competitor with a strong desire to win. During the regular season, his play earned him a spot as the second-line centre.
Staal is expected to increase his production significantly this season, especially with Russian scoring threat Evgeni Malkin playing on his wing. He is coming off of back-to-back 49-point seasons, and has scored at least 20 goals in three of his four seasons with the team.
Despite having a decent regular season, Staal failed to produce in the playoffs. He had only five points (3G, 2A), and was a -4 while playing through his foot injury. The year before, Staal put up nine points (4G, 5A) in the playoffs en route to winning the Stanley Cup.
Recovering from the injury will hopefully bring Staal back to form. The Penguins have high hopes on the youngster to help them make another run at the Stanley Cup. After having won in 2008-09, the Penguins were bounced last play-offs in the second round by the eighth-seeded Montreal Canadiens.
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