Crosby out indefinitely with a broken jaw

Sidney Crosby was hit in the mouth in his first shift of Saturday’s game by Brooks Orpik slapshot that deflected off of Lubomir Visnovsky’s stick. (Watch it here)

Crosby went down holding his face and bleeding all over the ice. He was able to get to the dressing room under his own power but was clearly in distress. He was brought to the hospital during the game and underwent oral surgery to repair a broken jaw and shattered teeth.

According to Jo Innes, when Patrick Eaves suffered a similar injury his recovery time was six to eight weeks. The Penguins have not given a timetable for which they expect Crosby to return, but expect it to be in that six-plus week range. This would mean he is most likely going to be out for the remainder of the regular season and could even miss some playoff time. A big concern surrounding a broken jaw is the lack of solid foods he is going to be able to eat. He is likely to lose a lot of weight which could affect him when he returns. With the Penguins firmly in the playoffs, they are not going to rush him back and put their captain at risk.

Pittsburgh is already without their two best defenseman. Kris Letang is out with a broken toe and Paul Martin will miss the rest of the regular season after having surgery to repair a broken bone in his hand. They made it very apparent this week that they want to win the Stanley Cup by adding Brenden Morrow, Douglas Murray and most notably longtime-Flames captain Jarome Iginla.

Sid was having a fantastic year, he has 15 goals and 41 assists (56 points-36 games) which leads the NHL. This is a terrible break for anyone who has him in fantasy. However it does not only hurt his owners, but it directly affects Chris Kunitz and Pascal Dupuis who will likely see a falloff in production without their star center.

You obviously can not replace his production with a waiver-wire pick up but here are some centers that could be available in your league that should help you deal with Crosby’s absence.

Brandon Sutter (PIT – 4.4% Owned) should see an increased role with Crosby out. After Sid left the game yesterday Sutter was moved up to play with Kunitz and Dupuis. If that is a permanent move then Sutter should see an increase in production. He will be a key player for the Penguins with Crosby out and he could be just as key for your fantasy team.
Derek Roy (DAL – 87.3%) might not be available, but if he is he would certainly be worth an add. He is a gifted playmaker who has the ability to make his wingers better. He had a goal and four assists in his last three games, to give him four goals and 17 assists this year. There have been talks about him potentially being moved by Wednesday’s trade deadline. If he does get traded, it all depends where he goes but it could increase his fantasy value even more. If he does not get traded, he is in a pretty solid situation in Dallas as it is.
Marcus Johansson (WSH – 9.8%) is enjoying his time on the Capitals top line beside Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. He has racked up three goals and five assists in his last eight games. As long as he keeps scoring he should stay on that line, which boosts his fantasy value a ton.
Shawn Matthias (FLA – 1.9%) is making the most of the big minutes he is getting on a weak Panthers team. He is playing around 17 minutes a night lately and has scored five times in his last three games. He has five goals and one assist in his last six games.

EDITORS NOTE: There is no worse time to lose your best fantasy player than right before the playoffs and it will likely put a lot of owners in a tough situation down the stretch. There is no way to put it other than it sucks, but you are going to have to hope your other players step up! I will update Crosby’s return timetable as soon as the Penguins release it.