Sidney Crosby Undergoes Wrist Surgery
The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without captain Sidney Crosby when training camp opens in a few weeks, as he underwent wrist surgery today. Crosby is expected to miss six weeks, likely meaning he will not be ready for the start of the season. Penguins GM Ron Hextall released a statement explaining why the surgery was done now:
This is not a new injury for Sid. It is something that he has played through for years. After exhausting all minimally-invasive options and much discussion, it was decided that surgery was in his best interest.
Crosby, 34, is no stranger to injury, having played in all 82 games just once in his storied career. Despite that, and whatever discomfort this wrist problem was causing him, the Penguins star has maintained a streak of at least a point-per-game rate in each of his 16 seasons. In 2020-21, he registered 62 points in 55 games, finishing tenth in league scoring and first on the Penguins. That earned him a fourth-place finish in the Hart Trophy voting, with 11 voters actually putting him second behind the unanimous selection of Connor McDavid.
While obviously getting this surgery earlier in the summer would have been better for the Penguins regular season hopes, Crosby still shouldn’t miss much time. Should he return six weeks from today, he would be absent for just four games to start the year, certainly not something that would put a season in jeopardy.
Of course for the Penguins, every game matters as they try to battle for standing in the Metropolitan Division. With Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang now all in their mid-thirties, the challenge of competing for a Stanley Cup seems even greater. With the captain out, it seems likely that Jeff Carter, a trade deadline acquisition last season, and Teddy Blueger, will slide into the top-six center positions for the first few games given Malkin’s own injury concerns. The 35-year-old Malkin underwent knee surgery in June and was not given a definitive timeline other than he will not be available for training camp.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Snapshots: Crosby, Morrissey, Cech
Will Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby be Captain Canada once more this year? The Athletic’s Rob Rossi believes that Hockey Canada has already tipped their hand prior to an official announcement. Rossi notes that as the organization begins to promote the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympic Games, Crosby has been participating in commercial shoots, print ad shoots, and today an actual in-person promotional appearance with the “C” on his jersey. Now, Crosby did serve as the captain in his last appearance at the Olympics with Canada in 2014, which could explain the “C”. However, it is also just as much evidence that he could serve as captain again, especially he also captained the 2015 World Championship team and 2017 World Cup team in last two international appearance. One of the best all-time, it would be no surprise if Crosby remains Canada’s captain until his playing days are over. To this point, that role is not official for the 2022 Winter Games, but all signs point in that direction.
- Mike McIntryre of the Winnipeg Free Press writes that perhaps Jets fans should lighten up on their criticism of top defenseman Josh Morrissey. Morrissey is coming off of a disappointing 2020-21 season after signing a lucrative long-term deal last off-season, leading many to call the blue liner out for taking his foot off the pedal now that he has his money. However, that may not be the situation at all. Morrissey’s father recently passed away from brain cancer and it was revealed that Morrisey was battling with that difficult personal issue all season. While professional athletes are expected to perform regardless of off-ice/field problems, it is only human for those things to weigh on them. Morrissey is a hard-working, two-way defenseman who has been a positive player that excels in all three zones for every season up until this past campaign. There is no reason to believe that the 26-year-old won’t bounce back this year, especially with the Jets bringing in some extra support on the blue line in Nate Schmidt and Brenden Dillon.
- Former all-world soccer goalkeeper Petr Cech is back for another run at hockey. After retiring from soccer, Cech made a highly-publicized transition to hockey in 2019-20, signing with the Guildford Phoenix of the NIHL second-tier league in England while concurrently working as an advisor to his long-time Premier League soccer club Chelsea. Cech played in six games with the Phoenix, recording two shutouts and a .934 save percentage – not bad for a 37-year-old rookie. After a year off, Cech is ready to get back in net (on the ice). The Phoenix have announced that they have signed Cech to a one-year contract as he continues to play out his lifelong dream of playing hockey, even after a historic career in soccer. Cech will remain employed by Chelsea in the meantime as well. The legend of the star Czech athlete continues to grow.
2021 Ted Lindsay Award Finalists Announced
This week, the NHL has started to release the finalists for all the major regular season awards. After the Vezina Trophy came out yesterday, the Ted Lindsay Award, given to “the most outstanding player in the NHL” as voted on by members of the NHLPA is up.
The three finalists this year are Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers.
Crosby, 33, is the veteran of the group and has been here several times before. The legendary Penguins center has taken home the Lindsay (which used to be called the Pearson) three times and could match Mario Lemieux for second behind Wayne Gretzky‘s five should he win another this year. He hasn’t taken home the award since leading the league in scoring in 2013-14, but there’s little doubt of his impact on Pittsburgh’s season. Crosby scored 24 goals and 62 points in 55 games, finishing tenth in league scoring. The Penguins were carried by their captain all year as they dealt with injuries to everyone from Brandon Tanev to Evgeni Malkin.
Matthews, 23, is the youngest of the group and is a finalist for the first time after his outstanding season with the Maple Leafs. He would become just the second American-born player to win the award, joining Patrick Kane in the 2016 season. Though he missed four games due to injury, Matthews still won the Rocket Richard trophy for the league’s top goal scorer, leading the field by eight tallies. His 41 in 52 is a pace that would have him score 65 in a full 82-game schedule, a number that has only been reached by 12 players in the history of the NHL and none since Alex Ovechkin did it in 2007-08. It wasn’t only goals though, as Matthews finished tied for fifth in league scoring with 66 points.
Still, it’s going to be difficult for either of the first two finalists to topple McDavid, who recorded 105 points in a 56-game season. He was 21 points ahead of the second-place scorer, who happened to be his teammate and reigning Ted Lindsay winner Leon Draisaitl. McDavid was 36 points ahead of the next non-Oilers player, an absolutely incredible stat in any season, let alone a shortened one. McDavid’s point pace would have given him 154 in a full 82-game season, something that has only ever been done by Gretzky, Lemieux, and Steve Yzerman. The scoring he accomplished this season was truly historic, and it seems likely to give him his third Lindsay already in a young career. Should he win it, he’ll tie Crosby, Ovechkin, Jaromir Jagr, and Guy Lafleur with three wins.
2021 King Clancy Trophy Nominees Announced
The NHL has announced the 31 nominees for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, annually presented to “the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.” Last year’s winner was Matt Dumba of the Minnesota Wild.
Each team submits one nominee. This year’s are:
Anaheim: Cam Fowler
Arizona: Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Boston: Charlie Coyle
Buffalo: Jack Eichel
Calgary: Mikael Backlund
Carolina: Jordan Staal
Chicago: Connor Murphy
Colorado: Pierre-Edouard Bellemare
Columbus: Cam Atkinson
Dallas: Esa Lindell
Detroit: Dylan Larkin
Edmonton: Kyle Turris
Florida: Sergei Bobrovsky
Los Angeles: Trevor Moore
Minnesota: Mats Zuccarello
Montreal: Jonathan Drouin
Nashville: Pekka Rinne
New Jersey: P.K. Subban
NY Islanders: Anders Lee
NY Rangers: Chris Kreider
Ottawa: Thomas Chabot
Philadelphia: Scott Laughton
Pittsburgh: Sidney Crosby
San Jose: Kurtis Gabriel
St. Louis: Ryan O’Reilly
Tampa Bay: Alex Killorn
Toronto: John Tavares
Vancouver: Tyler Motte
Vegas: Marc-Andre Fleury
Washington: Garnet Hathaway
Winnipeg: Blake Wheeler
Sidney Crosby, Todd Reirden Exit COVID Protocol
Sidney Crosby has been the biggest name to land on the NHL’s COVID Protocol Related Absences list so far this season, but it was a short stay for the Penguins captain. Pittsburgh has announced that Crosby has been activated from the COVID Protocol and will be in the lineup for their Thursday night game.
Assistant coach Todd Reirden has also been cleared of the COVID Protocol and will be back behind the bench. He was replaced by development coach Ty Hennes for the team’s last game.
Both men only landed on the list on Tuesday and missed just one game. Led by a 40-save effort from Tristan Jarry, the team stepped up in their stead with a 5-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. They face their in-state rival again tonight.
Sidney Crosby Placed In COVID Protocol
There will be a new name on the COVID Protocol Related Absences list when it comes out later today, and it’s a big one. Sidney Crosby has entered the league’s protocol according to Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan and will not be available for tonight’s game. The team did not have a morning skate today because of the protocol.
To be clear, this does not necessarily mean that Crosby has tested positive for coronavirus. Included in the NHL’s list of possible reasons for someone being on the list is are the following:
(1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol
The Penguins appear to still be on for tonight against the Philadelphia Flyers and will have Tristan Jarry in the net. Mark Jankowski will also not be available and remains listed day-to-day with an injury. He skated this morning on his own but is not quite ready.
The CPRA list is released at 5pm ET every day.
East Notes: Crosby, Ristolainen, Bruins
Tonight is a milestone game for Penguins center Sidney Crosby as he plays in his 1,000th career NHL contest, all in a Pittsburgh uniform. However, with the team struggling, some have speculated as to whether or not the 33-year-old would be better off or happier with a trade. Speaking with reporters including NHL.com’s Wes Crosby, the captain tried to downplay that, reiterating his desire to stay with the that drafted him first overall in 2005:
Nothing’s changed. [The rumors are] definitely kind of a new subject that I’ve had to deal with and hear about a little bit. But I love playing here. This is where I’d love to play for the rest of my career. So I can’t really control what’s said or rumors or things like that, but that’s just kind of how I approach it.
Crosby is off to a bit of a slower start by his standards having averaged over a point per game in all of his first 15 NHL seasons but still sits second in scoring on the Penguins this season with six goals and seven assists in 15 games.
Elsewhere in the East Division:
- While Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen is off the CPRA list, he’s not expected to join the team on their current road trip and remains out indefinitely, Lance Lysowski and Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News report. The 26-year-old had a particularly rough case of the virus and head coach Ralph Krueger indicated that it will be a “long process” for the blueliner to return to the lineup. Ristolainen was off to a strong start to his year with six points in ten games while logging over 23 minutes per night but it appears that he will be out for a while yet.
- The Bruins will be without center David Krejci and defenseman Kevan Miller for their outdoor game at Lake Tahoe tomorrow, notes Joe McDonald of the Worcester Telegram and Gazette (Twitter link). Krejci is dealing with a lower-body injury sustained on Thursday versus New Jersey while Miller’s absence is believed to be more for rest as he works his way back from missing all of last year. Jack Studnicka and Urho Vaakanainen were both recalled to Boston’s taxi squad yesterday.
Penguins Notes: Crosby And Malkin, Pryor, Attendance
Though it should come as no surprise, Pittsburgh Penguins ownership consulted their biggest stars before making the recent hires of Ron Hextall as GM and Brian Burke as President of Hockey Operations. The Athletic’s Rob Rossi writes that Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were informed of the Hextall-Burke possibility and endorsed the move, according to sources close to the players. While owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle typically do not intrude on hockey operations matters, the once exception over the years has been an insistence on keeping Crosby and Malkin in Pittsburgh at all costs. This why the pair, despite being 33 and 34 years old respectively, were consulted on a front office move that could outlast either’s career. Ownership’s lone mandate to Hextall and Burke is that they would like Crosby and Malkin to retire as Penguins if they so choose. Crosby is already signed through 2024-25 and has never given the team any reason to want to move him. Malkin however has not been as consistent and will be a free agent after next season. He has previously expressed a desire to sign on for three more years in Pittsburgh at the conclusion of his current contract to line up with the expiration of Crosby’s deal, allowing the two iconic Penguins to potentially retire together. Whether this is the same expectation shared by Hextall and Burke remains to be seen, but it appears as though the duo have been asked by their new bosses to treat Crosby and Malkin differently than the rest of the roster.
Interestingly, that even includes defenseman Kris Letang. Rossi reports that previous GM Jim Rutherford had been told that any trade involving Letang would need to be approved by ownership. However, Hextall and Burke are not operating under the same mandate. Rutherford had allegedly been gauging the trade interest in Letang around the league prior to his resignation and Hextall and Burke may be similarly interested in moving the veteran defenseman, whose expensive contract expires after the 2021-22 season. While Lemieux is still believed to prefer extending Letang, it seems he would be okay with moving the career Penguin “the right way”.
- Rossi also notes that, while no other front office moves were made alongside the additions of Hextall and Burke and the return of interim GM Patrick Allvin back to his role as Assistant GM, permission was given to make an addition to the staff. Hextall reportedly asked that he be allowed to hire his former assistant with the Philadelphia Flyers, Chris Pryor, before accepting the position with the Penguins. Pryor was fired alongside Hextall in Philadelphia and has since been working as an amateur scout for the Nashville Predators. It is unclear why Pryor has not yet joined the Penguins and if the Predators have anything to do with the hold up. However, the expectation is that Pryor will eventually become a second Assistant GM for Pittsburgh, resuming his role as Hextall’s draft guru. Rossi does not believe that any other changes to the front office are imminent until after Hextall and Burke handle the numerous major tasks ahead – in-season trades, entry draft, expansion, etc. – and have time to review the department.
- The Penguins continue to play in an empty building, but they might have 4,500+ in attendance before too long. Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune writes that the team has made requests to the Pennsylvania Department of Health as well as the Governor’s office to allow for PPG Paints Arena to open to fans at 25% capacity. He adds that quarter capacity for the venue is 4,596 spectators, a far cry from the current 500 players and personnel maximum currently allowed on game days. With COVID rates on the decline in the state and neighboring New York opening sports venues to 10% capacity, the Penguins’ request is not unrealistic. The team has already undertaken a number of health and safety measures at PPG in anticipation of crowds. The club certainly hopes that those with the power to allow Penguins fans back in the building will take all factors into account and grant their request.
COVID Notes: Kapanen, Granlund, Gulls-Reign
Pittsburgh Penguins off-season re-acquisition Kasperi Kapanen has not yet been on the ice with his teammates, but his return is imminent. Kapanen was removed from the NHL’s COVID Protocol on Friday but was still held out of practice on Saturday. However, Mike DeFabo of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette reports that Kapanen took his fourth COVID test today and a fourth negative result will make it his final test. He will be able to re-join the team immediately, with head coach Mike Sullivan stating that they will have him in uniform as quickly as they can once that test result is received. Kapanen, 24, recorded 80 points combined over the past two seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs and is expected to skate with Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel on the Penguins’ top line.
- Mikael Granlund remains on the NHL’s COVID Protocol list for the Nashville Predators, but progress is being made toward getting him on the ice. Granlund’s return to Nashville was initially delayed due to immigration issues that caused him to miss all of training camp. According to The Athletic’s Adam Vingan, he has now arrived in Nashville and has begun the mandated quarantine following commercial travel. At no point has Granlund tested positive for Coronavirus and he should be eligible to return to the lineup as soon as his quarantine ends. Head coach John Hynes has stated that he expects Granlund to return to a top-six role for the Predators after he recorded 30 points in 63 games last season, more than half of which came after Hynes took over.
- The San Diego Gulls and Ontario Reign, AHL affiliates of the Anaheim Ducks and L.A. Kings respectively, had intended to begin their preseason tonight with an exhibition game in Irvine, California. However, that game has been canceled due to precautions related to Coronavirus and in adherence with local health protocols. The two teams are scheduled to play on Sunday as well, but no determination has been made on that game yet.
Negotiation Notes: Ovechkin, Malkin, NHLPA
When the new league year begins, the Washington Capitals and franchise icon Alex Ovechkin are expected to enter contract talks as soon as possible. Ovechkin is entering the final year of his contract, but can sign an extension as early as October 9. Talks should run smoothly for the superstar and the only team he’s ever played for; TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that Ovechkin will once again negotiate the deal by himself. Ovechkin represented himself in contract talks last time around, all the way back in 2008, and landed a whopping 13-year, $124MM contract. Long-time friend and teammate Nicklas Backstrom was also successful negotiating an extension with the Capitals earlier this season. Ovechkin has no reservations about sitting down at the table by himself with GM Brian MacLellan and company to work out what could very well be the final contract of his storied career.
- Pittsburgh Penguins star Evgeni Malkin is still two years away from free agency, but sources tell The Athletic’s Rob Rossi and Josh Yohe that there is already mutual interest between player and team in an extension. Specifically, the two side are eyeing a three-year term, which would keep Malkin in Pittsburgh through the 2024-25 season, after which he would likely retire. Sidney Crosby‘s current contract, a 12-year pact, is also set to expire that off-season. The dynamic duo will be 38 and 37 respectively at that time, so expect a changing of the guard in Pittsburgh to occur that off-season.
- In more current and pressing negotiations, TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that the NHLPA is creating a player committee to work with the NHL on the logistics of the 2020-21 season. The two sides are expected to meet after the end of the Stanley Cup Final in the hopes that there can be concrete progress prior to the NHL Draft and the opening of free agency. With the “when” and “how” of the coming season still very much up in the air there is plenty of work for both sides before a suitable plan can be rolled out to the public.