Penguins Update: Still No Official Word on Sid

Now that the Olympics are over and the NHL is set to resume play, we still have no official word on the nature and severity of Sidney Crosby’s injury.

Reading between the lines, it sounds like Sid seriously considered suiting up for the gold-medal clash between his native Canada and the United States, which hopefully indicates his injury isn’t long-term in nature.

In the interim, the Penguins have recalled Avery Hayes from the Baby Pens. The peppery winger’s been on fire of late with a dozen goals in his last 12 games, including his two-goal NHL debut against Buffalo on February 5.

Hayes skated on the top line at yesterday’s practice, with Rickard Rakell sliding to center. A setup designed to minimize the disruption to our other three forward lines, which have been exemplary of late.

Coach Dan Muse seemed to indicate Avery’s stay could be a short one, depending on Sid’s status.

On defense, Kris Letang appears to be well on the mend and has reclaimed his spot on the second pairing next to Brett Kulak. Ryan Shea returned to his natural (left) side next to Connor Clifton on the third pairing, bumping Ilya Solovyov from the regular rotation.

More ‘Burgh

When I mentioned Team USA’s Steel City connection in yesterday’s post, I forgot about forwards J.T. Miller and Vincent Trocheck.

As Mark Madden noted in an article for The Trib, the Pittsburgh-area natives had a huge hand in killing off a 93-second, two-man disadvantage midway through the gold medal game. One that could’ve spelled disaster for the Americans.