Malkin won't need surgery on shoulder

Could return in 2-4 weeks

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

By Dave Molinari
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

WEST POINT, N.Y. -- Ray Shero isn't entirely clear on the finer points of the program Evgeni Malkin will go through to rehabilitate his dislocated left shoulder.

He's pretty certain, though, that at least a few things aren't part of Malkin's regimen just yet.

"I'm sure he's not walking on his hands," said Shero, the Penguins' general manager.

Probably not, but Malkin's bosses might have been tempted to try doing that -- if not cartwheel across the room -- after word began to circulate yesterday that he will not need surgery to repair his shoulder.

"It's a big relief for him -- and for this organization and this hockey team -- that we'll see him pretty soon," coach Michel Therrien said.

Even though the Penguins are adamant that they will not set a timetable for his return yet, it's clear Malkin's absence will be measured in weeks, not months.

The most optimistic projection for an injury such as Malkin's would be for him to resume playing in about two weeks, but it just as easily could take twice that. Or, if things progress more slowly than usual, even a week or so longer.

Had surgery been needed, Malkin would have been out until sometime in 2007, so even a relatively drawn-out rehabilitation sounds good by comparison.

"If he was going to get an operation, who knows?" Therrien said.

"It could have been three months, up to six months. The season probably would have been over."

Malkin began his rehabilitation with physical therapist Mark Mortland yesterday, but Shero said the Penguins, who will train at the U.S. Military Academy until Thursday, want to see how his early sessions go before targeting a time for him to begin practicing, let alone playing.

"We need to see how he responds," Shero said. "From our standpoint, we'd like to have a timetable. When we get back, maybe we'll have some sort of update."

Malkin's absence leaves a hole in the middle of the No. 2 line and Jordan Staal, the Penguins' first-round choice in the June entry draft, remains a candidate to fill it.

He played between Ryan Malone and Mark Recchi in the Penguins' 2-1 victory against Philadelphia Sunday night in London, Ontario -- he also picked up an assist on John LeClair's winning goal late in the third period -- and will get more work there before the Penguins decide whether to send him back to his Ontario Hockey League club in Peterborough.
"We're probably going to try it again this weekend," Therrien said.

The Penguins have remained noncommittal about their plans for Staal, who can play up to nine games in the NHL before 2006-07 would count as his rookie season, for purposes of taking a year off his entry-level contract and his eventual eligibility for free agency.

While Malkin's injury has given Staal an opportunity to play between a couple of top-six forwards, Shero insists that his short-term future is not tied to Malkin's recovery.

"I don't think it affects Staal at all," he said. "There will be a further evaluation for him, as we move along. We have the bigger picture in mind. ... We're not going to plug Jordan Staal into the lineup just to have a body."

Although Shero described himself as a "worst-case scenario guy," he acknowledged that he hadn't formulated a plan to fill the void that would have been created if Malkin had required surgery.

"It'd be a huge hole," Shero said. "Did I have something in place? No. It's a tough hole to fill."

Turns out that's a non-issue. But despite the personnel headaches that losing Malkin for an extended period would have caused, Shero said the Penguins would not have balked at having him undergo surgery if that had been in his long-term interest.

"There's a bigger picture involved [than the team's short-term fortunes]," he said. "We want to make sure he's 100 percent. There would be no rushing that."

NOTES -- With the training-camp roster at 27 -- not counting Malkin and forward Ronald Petrovicky, who is recovering from hip surgery -- Shero said there likely will be no more cuts until after the Penguins complete exhibition play, but did not guarantee it. ... The Penguins kicked off their team-building stay at West Point with a game of paintball and a team dinner at the home of Army hockey coach Brian Riley. ... Malkin's coach with Magnitogorsk of the Russian Super League, Dave King, was fired yesterday after the team got off to a 3-4-1 start.