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Sidney Crosby uncertainty deepens as Pittsburgh Penguins avoid firm update
Photo credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Sidney Crosby's Olympic injury has the Pittsburgh Penguins talking in circles, and it feels like we're not getting the full story.
On Monday, Dan Muse wouldn't give a real update, only "more information we need to get."
That's fair on paper, but it also reads like classic damage control.
Crosby didn't skate, and the team called it a travel day, even while admitting the status is unresolved.
The Penguins recalled Avery Hayes, which is not something you do if you're totally confident your 1C is fine.
They even slid Rickard Rakell into Crosby's center spot in practice, and they framed it as a contingency plan.
Here's the part that gets me, Seth Rorabaugh openly noted they "don't know" if Crosby will play after the Olympic break, or they're simply "not saying."
Either way, the Penguins are acting like a team that's preparing for Thursday against the New Jersey Devils without its heartbeat.
Sidney Crosby uncertainty shakes the Pittsburgh Penguins
Penguins fans have seen this movie, and the silence is what makes it scarier than the injury itself.
Crosby has 59 points this season, a 27-32-59 line that still drives everything they do.
Even the power-play look without him felt like a tell, with Muse running different pieces in his spot.
The team is 29-15-12, so this isn't a lost year. It's a year that can flip fast if the top-six gets scrambled.
Rorabaugh's TribLIVE report also notes Crosby had played 81 straight games for Pittsburgh, which is why this sudden fog feels so unusual.
If the Penguins truly have nothing to hide, we should get clarity by Wednesday. If not, that tells you plenty too.
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Sidney Crosby injury update, Dan Muse says status pending return
Sidney Crosby injury update, Dan Muse says status pending return