Penguins backup goaltender Casey DeSmith underwent bilateral core muscle surgery Thursday. The recovery time is expected to be six to eight weeks.
The team announced his procedure Thursday evening.
DeSmith, 29, was injured during a 7-2 road loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on May 3 and missed the final three games of the regular season as well all six of the Penguins’ postseason games.
Coach Mike Sullivan previously had labeled DeSmith’s ailment as a “soft tissue groin injury.”
In 20 games this past season, DeSmith had an 11-7-0 record, a 2.54 goals against average, a .912 save percentage and two shutouts.
He is entering the final year of a three-year contract with a salary cap hit of $1.25 million.
