We're hearing whispers around the internet (most notably on the Pensblog) that Penguins defenseman Olli Maatta is in bad shape with his shoulder. Maatta has been placed on IR and missed the past week with a loosely disclosed upper body injury.
Cue Rossi:
Penguins defenseman Olli Maatta will seek a second opinion this week in hopes of avoiding a second shoulder surgery, multiple sources said Sunday.
Maatta is on injured reserve because of shoulder soreness. It is the same shoulder on which Maatta had surgery in May to repair a labrum tear, the sources said.
General manager Jim Rutherford declined to provide specifics Sunday, but he confirmed Maatta would have a second opinion. The Penguins do not yet know whether a potential surgery would require Maatta to miss the rest of the season, including the playoffs, the sources said.
That's the opposite of ideal. Maatta had the initial surgery May 22nd and returned very swiftly for a procedure that announced a
4-6 month recovery time. Maatta was a limited participant in training camp. He did not play in any preseason games but ramped up his activity and workload in practice. Maatta appeared in the Penguins first regular season game.
Ironically, fellow prospect Derrick Pouliot had the same type of shoulder surgery at the same time. Pouliot missed all of NHL training camp and didn't make his season debut in Wilkes-Barre until October 21st. Since then, he's shown little to no signs of rust or that his shoulder is bothering him, given his impressive offensive outputs displayed in the AHL.
It's been a turbulent season for Maatta, who missed a couple weeks after having a cancerous tumor cut out of his neck last month. Maatta has appeared in 20 games this season, and since his return has not been sharp in his defensive zone, and hasn't been effective offensively either. Having a bum shoulder would be a good reason for that.
Hopefully though the 20 year old's season isn't over. Two shoulder surgeries in about eight months could also be a career altering thing too. However, Maatta has been very resilient and has surprised before, maybe the next news that breaks will be good for a change.Reports say young Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Olli Maatta is seeking multiple medical opinions on his previously operated on shoulder to see if another surgery is needed.