Nine days after suffering his second concussion in less than a year, Brian Dumoulin reports that he's feeling good again.
Dumoulin skated in a red, non-contact jersey during Monday's practice at PPG Paints Arena and reported no problems afterward. Mike Sullivan said that the next step for Dumoulin will be to take contact in a full practice at which point he should be cleared to return.
"We're certainly encouraged with his progress," Sullivan said.
However, Dumoulin isn't the only member of the Penguins' battered defense corps on the mend. Kris Letang (upper body) and Olli Maatta (upper body) both skated with team skills development coach Ty Henne before Monday's 50-minute practice.
"It just feels good to feel again," Dumoulin said.
Dumoulin and Letang were both injured during the first period of the Feb. 23 outdoor game against the Flyers at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field. Dumoulin went down after absorbing a big hit from Wayne Simmonds along the boards, while Letang was hurt in the ensuing scrum when Shayne Gostisbehere tackled him to the ice. Simmonds was not penalized on the play nor did he receive supplemental discipline from the NHL's Department of Player Safety. Dumoulin concurred with the league's account that Simmonds drove a shoulder into his chest.
"He didn't hit me in the head," said Dumoulin, who rotated through defense pairs in practice Monday. "It was mostly, I'd say all the concussion was from the glass, my head hitting the glass. Outdoor games, it's pretty chilly the glass is pretty cold. Definitely didn't help it."
While many have raised safety concerns about outdoor games, mostly about ice conditions and poor weather like that night in Philadelphia, Dumoulin's injury raises another issue: The give in the boards and plexiglass. He called them concrete, a concern another player had raised with me before the game.
Either way, Dumoulin didn't completely absolve Simmonds of blame. He felt the hit -- "not a great hit to be part of" -- was to his blindside and that he was unable to protect himself. Simmonds has since been traded to Nashville. The Penguins will face Simmonds and his new team, the Predators, on March 21 and 29.
Exactly when Dumoulin, Letang and Maatta will return is still uncertain but it won't come a moment too soon for the Penguins, who have had to make do on defense. They are 2-0-2 since their top pairing went down, and they currently hold the first wildcard spot heading into tomorrow night's home game against the Florida Panthers.
"It's tough watching," Dumoulin said. "They were battling hard, had some great games. It's more fun playing in them than watching them."
