Player will miss the remainder of the playoffs with devastating injury.

The Pittsburgh Penguins received some difficult news on the injury front today, as it appears they have lost one of their more reliable defenseman for the remainder of the postseason.

Penguins' D-man will miss the remainder of the playoffs after suffering a broken ankle in a collision with Ryan Callahan in Friday's Game 4, coach Mike Sullivan confirmed after the team's workout ahead of Game 5.

It’s a significant blow to the Penguins’ blue line as they enter Sundays Game 5, as Daley was second on the team in ice time at 22:08 per game, and played on both the power play and the penalty kill.

“You never want to see a guy like that go down, especially a guy who eats a lot of minutes like that. He’s a good guy on the ice and off the ice. Everybody loves him in the dressing room. He brings that calmness. That veteran presence,” said Kris Letang, who played with Daley throughout the regular season.

“But depth has been one of our strengths all year long.”

The Penguins will now turn to defenseman Olli Maatta, who was a scratch in six of Pittsburgh's previous eight games. Maatta took reps with Letang on the first unit, indicating he'll draw in over Derrick Pouliot. Maata has been a healthy scratch since being injured by a Brooks Orpik head shot in the Penguins’ semifinal series against the Washington Capitals.

The loss of Daley is a big one, as he has been instrumental ever since his arrival last December in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks. Daley helped establish the speedy offensive tempo the Penguins have thrived with under Sullivan, and have allowed them to advance thus far into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

“Well, he's a tough guy to replace, I've said that all along. He's really made our team a better team. He's got real good offensive instincts. He's a real solid two-way defenseman, and it's hard to replace those guys, but we've done it all year, and we'll deal it again,” said Sullivan.

“On a personal level, I feel badly for Trevor because I know how important  this is to him and what it means to him and what he's brought to this team. You know, it's emotional for him. He's a terrific kid. He's brought a lot to this hockey team.”

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