The Pittsburgh Penguins have had a solid start to the 2025-26 campaign, although they did have a four-game win streak snapped when they lost in a penalty shootout to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night. On Sunday, the team received some more bad news regarding veteran forward Rickard Rakell.
In the team’s loss to the Blue Jackets, Rakell was forced out of the action early with an injury, which quickly raised concerns among fans. Sure enough, Rakell is going to have to miss some time, as the Penguins announced that he will be out six to eight weeks as he works on recovering from surgery on his left hand.
“Forward Rickard Rakell underwent successful surgery on his left hand today,” the team’s public relations account announced in a post on X. “The procedure was performed by Dr. John Fowler in collaboration with head team physician Dr. Dharmesh Vyas at UPMC Mercy Hospital. The expected recovery time is six to eight weeks.”
Losing Rakell is a big blow for Pittsburgh, as he’s a key part of their offensive game plan. After racking up 35 goals and assists a piece last season, Rakell was already off to a strong start this year, picking up three goals and five assists in his first nine games. Now, he will miss potentially the next two months of action as he recovers from this injury.
Pittsburgh should have enough depth to get by without Rakell for the time being, but losing a 30-goal scorer is never easy, especially this early in the season. The Penguins will look to get back in the win column on Monday night when they take on the St. Louis Blues.
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