The Penguins on Thursday announced that defenseman Jan Rutta underwent surgery this week to repair a core muscle injury.
The expected timeframe for Rutta's recovery is 8-10 weeks. The surgery was performed by Dr. Michael Brunt at the Center for Advanced Medicine in St. Louis in collaboration with Dr. Dharmesh Vyas, the Penguins' team physician.
Rutta was out of the Penguins' lineup for two separate stretches in the second half of the season. He played the Penguins' full Jan. 14 game against the Hurricanes, then was sidelined with an upper-body injury until Feb. 25. He was sidelined again after the Penguins' March 16 game against the Rangers with a lower-body injury and didn't return until April 6, though that absence was suspected to be related to a puck he took to his knee in the game prior. He played three games after returning then was held out for the Penguins' regular-season finale against the Blue Jackets.
Rutta has two seasons remaining on his contract that carries a $2.75 million cap hit
