MONDAY’S PENGUINS BUZZ

Few could have been surprised today to hear the news that Beau Bennett didn’t practice today and is now being re-evaluated for a shoulder injury he re-aggravated vs the Canucks.

Bennett was scheduled to have an MRI this afternoon, according to a source.

Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan told the media today more about Bennett’s condition will be known after the break.

“He obviously aggravated the situation throughout the course of the game,” Sullivan told reporters.

If the injury leads to Bennett needing surgery at some point it won’t be a shock. Bennett is said to have been dealing with pain in the same shoulder dating back to last spring when his availability for the playoffs came into question.

Whether it’s raising his arms when celebrating a goal, which knocked Bennett out of the lineup earlier this year, a problem with the shoulder is obviously there.

For Bennett who had to take a $125,000 paycut coming out of his entry level contract this season, he’s at the point where his career is headed towards a cross-roads.

These injuries are more than just bad luck. He just doesn’t have the body to be a professional hockey player.

Even if the Penguins get some good news that Bennett can continue trying to play through the injury, there’s no way the team can operate with the mindset that Bennett can counted on for a playoff run.

His $800,000 cap hit also doesn’t help things when it comes to creating cap space if Bennett were to have a long-term injury and go on LTIR.To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!