Pens' Letang cleared to play following neck surgery

Kris Letang has been given the green light.

On Sunday, the Pittsburgh Penguins blue-liner was medically cleared to join the team's training camp, five months after he underwent neck surgery.

The 30-year-old was sidelined for the Penguins' entire Stanley Cup run. He also battled injuries through the regular season and was limited to just 41 games.

It's safe to say that Letang is antsy to get back on the ice.

"He wants to play 40 minutes a game, but I think the coaches will just take it a day or a week or a game at a time and see where it goes," Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford told Mike G. Morreale of NHL.com. "I would suspect that he would probably ease his way into the preseason and then go from there."

Penguins training camp officially opens Sept. 15, while the team's first exhibition game comes four days later against the Buffalo Sabres.

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