How the Pittsburgh Penguins Will Cope with the Absence of Olli Maatta

Once again, the Pittsburgh Penguins are facing the prospect of a hole in their blue line due to a serious medical issue involving one of their most important players.

On Monday, the Penguins announced that they'll be without sophomore Olli Maatta for about four weeks after he undergoes surgery next week to remove a tumor from his neck. Wes Crosby of NHL.com reports that the tumor "has an 85-percent chance of being a low-grade thyroid cancer," according to team doctor Dharmesh Vyas.

Just back from offseason shoulder surgery to repair a labral tear, Maatta has spent the early part of the 2014-15 season paired primarily with Kris Letang. Averaging 20:08 of ice time, Maatta is Pittsburgh's top-scoring defenseman with six points in eight games.

Maatta will continue to play until his surgery next week. In his first game after Monday's announcement, he had one assist and was named third star in Pittsburgh's 8-3 win over the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday. He's expected to appear in Pittsburgh's next two home games before going under the knife.

The Penguins host the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday for their annual "Hockey Fights Cancer" night, which will take on additional significance due to Maatta's circumstances.

The 20-year-old Finn is expected to miss about four weeks of action, but the Penguins shouldn't have too much trouble coping with his absence. Historically, the team has shown remarkable resilience when dealing with a depleted blue line.

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Last season, Kris Letang was sidelined for 26 games after suffering a stroke in late January. Earlier last year, he missed time with two other injuries, while Paul Martin played just 39 games in 2013-14 thanks to a broken leg in November, then a broken hand in February.

Letang and Martin have both returned in good health this season, but their absences last year created opportunities for players like the rookie Maatta and prospect Simon Despres to step up. Maatta has quickly blossomed into a mature, steady blueliner, and Despres is making great strides this season.

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"I can’t say enough about how much (defense partner Rob Scuderi has) helped me," Despres told Sam Kasan of Penguins.com on Wednesday. "He’s a two-time Stanley Cup winner. I listen to him a lot. He’s my mentor. We’re playing well together. He talks a lot and makes it easy for me. It’s going well so far."

Maatta, Despres and free-agency acquisition Christian Ehrhoff have kept the Penguins blue line solid after defensemen Brooks Orpik, Matt Niskanen and Deryk Engelland all left Pittsburgh to sign as free agents with new teams over the summer.

When Maatta moves onto injured reserve next week, he'll be replaced by Robert Bortuzzo, who's close to returning to action after suffering a lower-body injury during a preseason game on September 25. 

Bortuzzo's style is distinctly different from Maatta's, but the 25-year-old 215-pounder will bring an increased physical presence to the Penguins blue line.

Down on the farm, more defensive options await in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Scott Harrington served as a seventh defenseman while Bortuzzo was injured but didn't see any game action in Pittsburgh, while prized 2012 first-rounder Derrick Pouliot has three points in his first four professional games as part of the AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

Of course, in Pittsburgh's case, the best defense is always a good offense. This year's no different.

Through Tuesday's games, the Penguins lead the league with an average of 4.12 goals scored per game and are working at a lethal 40.6 percent success rate on the power play. That kind of production is going to win the team plenty of games, even without Maatta in the lineup.

Maatta's calm resilience in the face of the news of his illness is also providing inspiration to his teammates in the face of their own adverse situations.

"There’s a lot bigger things in the world going on," injured forward Beau Bennett told Michelle Crechiolo of Penguins.com on Wednesday as he works his way back from a lower-body injury suffered during training camp. "You’ve got a guy like Olli (Maatta), he’s competing as hard as he can with (a neck tumor). So it kind of keeps it all in perspective that he’s able to do that. With that in the back of his mind, it’s pretty amazing."