Kris Letang will be sidelined for the foreseeable future.
The Pittsburgh Penguins defenceman was placed on injured reserve and will miss at least four weeks with a fractured foot, the team announced on Saturday.
Letang, 38, has been healthy for the majority of the season, but recently missed two games against the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers with an upper-body injury. He returned on Sunday against the Vancouver Canucks.
Letang has 25 points (three goals, 22 assists) in 50 games this season. He is currently three points shy of 800 for his career.
Letang's injury comes at a potentially fortuitous time for Pittsburgh with the NHL set to take an extended break for the 2026 Winter Games in Milan Cortina, which start next week. The Penguins not participating in the Olympics will be off from Feb. 6 to Feb. 25.
The Penguins are also expected to update the status of Evgeni Malkin on Saturday. The centre missed practice on Friday with an unknown injury.
Pittsburgh sits second in the Metropolitan Division and is riding a five-game win streak. It hosts the New York Rangers on Saturday on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ at 3:30 p.m. ET / 12:30 p.m. PT.
--with files from The Associated Press
