Pittsburgh Penguins Injury Rumors: Nick Bonino Suffers Hand Injury, Out Indefinitely
When the Pittsburgh Penguins traded defensive center Brandon Sutter for Nick Bonino and Adam Clendening, the idea was to get a couple of prospects who can help the team's fortunes turn positive this season. While it previously looked like a clever deal that the Penguins won because of the fact that Sutter is out due to sports hernia, the thing is Bonino himself is out, too.
The Penguins announced that Bonino has been placed on the injured reserve list and will be out at least a month. However, the team did not reveal the kind of hand injury he suffered, which reportedly was obtained during a 3-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes last Tuesday. Furthermore, the team disclosed that the forward returned to Pittsburgh to have himself examined further.
After getting drafted by the San Jose Sharks in 2007, Bonino has played a total of 304 games in the NHL, producing 51 goals and 131 points. After getting traded and finding himself playing for Pittsburgh, he currently has managed only three goals and 10 points.
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A few days after the announcement of his injury, general manager Jim Rutherford said that there's a good chance he'll be out for more than a few weeks, which means that he can no longer contribute to the team's hope of moving up to the standings this month.
Anyhow, Bonino's performance has been a disappointment so far after the trade. He only scored three goals this season so far, which is a far cry to what the team expected to get from him. Rutherford revealed that the team will be making some internal backfills to offset the loss, which suggests that Eric Fehr is likely going to transition to the middle. The 39- year-old veteran Matt Cullen, meanwhile, will definitely get more playing time. These two players will have to carry the load for the moment while Bonino is out.
