But for Penguins defenseman BradWerenka, still recovering from surgery to repair a broken bone in his left foot, dressing for a game - any game - would be a welcome respite from his regimen of rehabilitation and practices.
That Werenka can even contemplate dressing for Saturday's game is rather remarkable, considering he had the surgery during the off-season, then spent the first six weeks of his recovery in a cast.
Werenka came to the Penguins a year ago with a reputation as a serious offensive talent, but he generated modest totals - three goals and 15 assists in 71 games - in 1997-98.
Not surprisingly, Werenka is reluctant to speculate on where he might fit in the Penguins' plans, be it in their game against Boston tomorrow or in some future season.
His rationale for not dressing Werenka against Phoenix, he said, would have been the same employed when he held Ference out of the Washington game: He has a fairly good handle on the player's strengths and weaknesses, and he wants a first-hand look at personnel with whom he is not so familiar.
Werenka put up some impressive personal stats during his time at Northern Michigan, and he accumulated 76 points in 82 games en route to being named the top defenseman in the International Hockey League in 1996-97, but Werenka hasn't been a significant offensive contributor with the Penguins.
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