Nick Bjugstad will not be suiting up for Pittsburgh in the 24-team playoff

The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without the services of Nick Bjugstad until next season, regardless of how far the team manages to go in the upcoming 24-team playoff. Pens GM Jim Rutherford said the forward suffered a set back in his injury recovery and required more surgery Tuesday.

It's been a rough season for the 27-year-old Bjugstad. He managed just 13 games throughout 2019-20. He was on the sidelines from late November to early March due to a due to a core-muscle injury that required surgery. He played just three games after returning before being diagnosed with an unrelated lower-body injury. When the NHL shut down on March 12th, he was listed as week-to-week.

There is some good news for Pittsburgh, though as it begins preparations for its best three-of-five play-in series against Montreal. Winger Jake Guentzel, who had shoulder surgery on December 31st, should be back in the lineup whenever the series starts.

“Jake is going through his rehab. Things are progressing fine,” Rutherford said. “We still have a ways to go before we start playing. We are optimistic that he will be ready to play.”

Pittsburgh is one of 10 cities in contention to become a hub city for the 24-team playoff. However, Rutherford told media Wednesday that the team is prepared to play wherever.

I'm open to wherever we play,” he said. “From the Penguins point of view, we meet the guidelines [of a host city]. We have a state of the art facility at the UPMC Lemieux Center. We meet the criteria, but understand that other teams do too. We just have to prepare to play.”

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