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Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney
Crosby joined the team for a morning skate ahead of Saturday’s
preseason finale against the Columbus Blue Jackets as he continues
his recovery from wrist surgery on Sept. 8.
It marked the first time Crosby joined
his teammates on the ice after previously skating before practices
throughout training camp.
Pens head coach Mike Sullivan said he
still doesn’t expect the two-time Hart Trophy winner to play in road
games against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday and Florida Panthers
on Thursday to open the regular season, but he expects the
34-year-old center to take the trip.
“He is on schedule. And it does
indicate progress,” Sullivan told reporters. “That’s
obviously his first practice joining the group. I would anticipate
more of that moving forward. We’re real encouraged by the progress
that he’s made to this point. He’s in terrific shape.”
The Penguins’ initial announcement
stated Crosby, who scored 62 points in 55 games last season, was expected to miss “at least” six weeks to recover,
which would put him on track to return around Oct. 20.
Pittsburgh general manager Ron Hextall
said the NHL’s longtime gold standard has dealt with the injury for a
long time and the organization hoped an offseason of rest could help
rectify the issue, but it became clear surgery was the best short-
and long-term option.
“At some point, you ramp things up
along the way,” Hextall said. “The conclusion we came to was this
procedure was the best way to proceed.”
He added: “We all, including Sid,
wish we had known this a month or two months ago. That would be
great, but we are where we are.”
The Penguins are also set to open the
2021-22 campaign without fellow star Evgeni Malkin, who’s expected to
miss the first two months of the season after June knee surgery.
Their absences will leave a major void
in the middle of the ice for Pittsburgh.
Jeff Carter figures to center the top
line, while Evan Rodrigues should see his most expansive role since
joining the Pens in February 2020. Rodrigues did see some top-six
minutes during his previous stint with the Buffalo Sabres, though
he’s never scored more than nine goals in a season.
After the Penguins return from Florida,
they embark on an eight-game homestand. Crosby should return at some
point during that stretch barring any setbacks.
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