Penguins' Erik Karlsson out multiple weeks with lower-body injury
The Pittsburgh Penguins lost a key piece of the blueline as the team announced on Tuesday, Erik Karlsson is out for a couple of weeks with a lower-body injury.
The Swedish blueliner recently logged over 23 minutes on the weekend in a 1-0 loss to the Boston Bruins, and has yet to hit the ice since, and now the team has announced they'll be moving on with him for the time being.
The Penguins are going to play multiple weeks without the injured Erik Karlsson. This is a real problem. He’s been exceptional most of the season. Kris Letang, who has struggled quite a bit, will presumably take on a bigger role. Tons of pressure on him.
— Josh Yohe (@JoshYohe_PGH) January 13, 2026
Karlsson is out on Tuesday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning, in what is his first missed game since joining the organization in 2023. While he may have had a rough start to this Penguins' career, there's no doubt he's turned it on of late and has really enjoyed a bounce back season.
The Penguins have recalled forward Tristan Broz and defenseman Ryan Graves from the @WBSPenguins (AHL).
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 13, 2026
Defenseman Erik Karlsson has been placed on Injured Reserve.
Forward Rafael Harvey-Pinard has been re-assigned to WBS. pic.twitter.com/t3jdIVYKYa
The Penguins are an interesting team to watch as Kyle Dubas has already made some moves and is open to just about any type of trade scenario, outside of moving Sidney Crosby. Meanwhile, Karlsson would be attractive if the Penguins retained some of his remaining money as he's collected 33 points in 44 games this season and has started to even kill penalties, which wasn't something he's done a ton of in the past.
Karlsson was recently named to Team Sweden's Olympic team, and at this time, his injury doesn't appear serious enough to keep him out of the games. Great news for Karlsson and the rest of the Swedes.
Photo credit: Bob Lee, Imagn Images
