Eric Fehr Expected to Miss a Month

Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan announced Thursday that forward Eric Fehr has a “significant” lower-body injury and will miss about a month of play. Fehr sustained the injury in Tuesday’s game against the Ottawa Senators.

Fehr signed with the Penguins in late July as a free agent. He came on the heels of what was nearly a career-year at age 29, scoring 19 goals and 33 points. It was his best season since he posted 21 goals and 39 points at age 24.

This season he’s posted a -7.8% CF%Rel with just five goals and seven points through 39 games. That represents a significant step down from what he displayed last season and significantly lower production than the team likely expected when they gave him a three-year deal carrying a $2 million AAV. For a team with the cap troubles of the Penguins, that’s a lot to pay for a fourth line winger.

He’s largely been relegated to a depth role, playing wing on a line with Matt Cullen and Sergei Plotnikov, as well as playing a key part in the team’s penalty kill.

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