"There were days Kris Letang struggled to get out of bed. Bouts of dizziness and nausea plagued him.

"It was really tough," the Penguins top defenseman said Tuesday after joining his teammates on the ice for the first time in weeks.

"I went through a month with a lot of symptoms."

Letang has recovered from a concussion and is medically cleared.

He participated in the morning skate but was not in the lineup against Carolina at Consol Energy Center. He said he needs to practice a bit more but sounded as if he could play before the All-Star break that starts late next week."