Penguins rule out possibility of Pascal Dupuis returning this season

In a video posted by the Penguins, head coach Mike Johnston officially confirms Pascal Dupuis won’t play this season.

“Even though he does skate on his own and he does work out, there’s still the blood clot situation that they’re dealing with,” Johnston said. “Pascal Dupuis won’t play for us this season. It’s a timeline. There’s a certain timeline where he cannot have contact. Then even when it gets beyond that point, where he can have contact, there’s going to be a lot of discussion with he doctors. That’s better kept for later in the year and the offseason, to figure out where he is at as far as his playing career and being able to rejoin us.”

GM Jim Rutherford in the video expressed confidence that Dupuis will play next year. “Based on the doctors report I don’t believe we’ll see Pascal this year. He’s not going to be cleared to play until June,” Rutherford said. “I do feel very confident that Dupuis will return to the team next year.”

Dupuis turns 36 in April and has two years remaining on his deal with a cap hit of $3.75 million. Dupuis is due to earn $4 million in 2015-2016 and $3 million in 2016-2017.