The Pittsburgh Penguins are struggling significantly in the early goings of the 2024-25 NHL season, and their latest health update ahead of the upcoming game is one of the more unusual ones fans have seen in recent memory.

Penguins coach Mike Sullivan announced that veteran defenseman Kris Letang will miss Saturday night's game at PPG Paints Arena against the visiting San Jose Sharks. However, he added that the rest of the roster will be considered game-time decisions.

Letang already missed the Penguins' humbling 6-2 setback at the hands of the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena, and didn't make the trip with the rest of his teammates. He's appeared in 18 games this season, registering two goals with four assists.

There hasn't been any context offered behind Sullivan's designation of the entire Penguins roster as game-time decisions, but it stands to reason that there could be an illness going through the Pittsburgh dressing room that is affecting multiple players.

The Penguins are struggling heavily in the early goings of the season

Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang (58) moves the puck ahead of Dallas Stars center Colin Blackwell (15) during the second period at PPG Paints Arena.
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With a record of 6-10-3 through 19 games, the Penguins are in second-to-last place in the Metropolitan Division, ahead of only the Blue Jackets. However, Columbus has played three fewer games than Pittsburgh. Their win snapped a six-game losing streak while prolonging Pittsburgh's winless skid to three games.

Afterward, Penguins captain Sidney Crosby offered a blunt assessment of what had just befallen his teammates, via Trib LIVE.

“We all know when we’re doing things that are going to give us a chance to win and sometimes it doesn’t end up getting the result you want,” Crosby said during his postgame media remarks. “Then there are times where you beat yourself and don’t give yourself a chance. We were probably guilty of that in the third period.”

Saturday night's game against the Sharks, another struggling team, is scheduled to begin at 7:00 PM EST. Whether or not the Penguins, who did not have a morning skate, are able to ice a full roster remains to be seen.