clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Nick Bjugstad has another “setback” out for summer

If not for bad fortune, Bjugstad would have none at all

Carolina Hurricanes v Pittsburgh Penguins Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images

One questionable part on the Penguins lineup when the NHL season resumes later this summer was going to be Nick Bjugstad. Bjugstad has been oft-injured but could have been a lower line center. That won’t come to pass though:

Tough break, Bjugstad’s 2019-20 season will be just 11 games long due to two separate injuries that zapped his lower body and rendered him unable to stay in the lineup. He scored just one goal and added no assists. The Penguins still do have plenty of other forward depth, as they haven’t been able to rely on Bjugstad to play this year too much anyways, but it’s still a disappointing end for all parties.

However, the news from the GM wasn’t all negative today:

The Penguins could not have foreseen that Jake Guentzel would be available for the start of the playoffs. Adding him to Jason Zucker, Bryan Rust and some combination of Conor Sheary, Patrick Marleau or Patric Hornqvist gives the Pens’ their best top-six wingers in quite a while.

There was a small nugget of business news as well:

Pittsburgh has had top class ownership since Mario Lemieux was able to team up with Ron Burkle, and from the top they’ve spared no expense to ensure that the Sidney Crosby era could be as successful as possible on the ice. That management has assurances that will continue, even in these uncertain times, is not unexpected but still a nice relief. And, from ownership, franchise value increases with championships. That’s the big prize in the long run, even beyond the year-to-year operation. Still, any business that is effected by unknown gate revenue in 2020 has to consider real world realities.