Letang, speaking to the media for the first time since his condition was disclosed on Feb. 7, said that he's taking it "day by day" and will have more tests in the next 2-3 weeks, but that doctors told him he should make a full recovery.

"He's working out. He's active. He's normal," coach Dan Bylsma said.

All told, that's good news — especially considering that Letang's wife found him on the floor of their home the morning of his stroke. After that, he still flew to Los Angeles for the team's West Coast road trip, which is when doctors sensed something was wrong.

"The day before, I was totally fine," he said. "Then, I woke up the next morning and it went like this."

Asked whether he was unconscious when his wife found him, Letang said, "No. I was just not able to function."

"Certainly, my family is really worried — that was a difficult part to manage, when you see your mom crying, or your wife."

Letang is on blood thinners and has a congenital hole in his heart that may or may not have caused the stroke. He's still dealing with symptoms stemming from the stroke itself.

The 26-year-old was a Norris Trophy finalist last season. He has 10 goals and 18 points in 34 games and signed an eight-year, $58 million contract extension in the summer.

From a hockey standpoint, Pittsburgh has managed without Letang because of the emergence of rookie Olli Maatta as a top-four defenseman, the continued growth of Matt Niskanen and a good amount of organizational depth at the position.

The biggest problem: Simon Despres, one of the team's top trading chips, took Letang's place in the lineup, and Pittsburgh may need him for the rest of the season, rather than flipping him for help up front.


KESLER TRADE RUMORS


If there's one thing to draw out of Thursday — and there's been a month's worth of a misdirection and contradiction in the last 24 hours — it's that Ryan Kesler, regardless of the semantics in play, could well wind up on a different team by the March 4 NHL trade deadline.

If there's another thing to draw out of Thursday, it's how silly stuff gets around this time every year. But whatever — Kesler. This is from TSN's Bob McKenzie, according to a tweet by Maple Leafs blog Hope in the Big Smoke:

"I can say this, when talking to people around the NHL, they've indicated that Kesler has let it be known which teams he'll go to."

Does that quote line up with this, from the Canucks' Twitter acount? Not completely, but again, semantics:

"Rumors are 'completely false' that Kesler asked to be traded recently or ever, according to the forward. 'I'm happy to be here.' "

That leaves the door open for something alone the lines of, "I'm not asking for a trade, but if you were to trade me, here are a list of teams I'd accept."

This was Canucks general manager Mike Gillis on Wednesday night: "I won't comment on it under any circumstances and whether Ryan asked or didn't ask (for a trade), I'm not discussing this."

And really, whether Kesler asked, sort-of-asked or didn't ask for a trade is irrelevant. The Canucks are listening to offers, according to multiple reports. As an aging team with a probably-shut Stanley Cup window, they should.

Whether Kesler requested to be traded, and I can neither confirm nor reject the report, teams have been calling Vancouver on him. The Canucks are listening.

Contributor: Sean Gentille