Crosby Watch Ends: Returning Against Islanders

By Alexander Monaghan
Editor-in-chief

Sidney Crosby will make his long awaited return to the lineup tomorrow against the New York Islanders. Adjust your lineup accordingly and start the superstar pivot with confidence!

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UPDATE 11/18/11: According to Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, via Twitter, Crosby will not play tomorrow night against the Panthers.

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UPDATE 11/17/11: According to George Richards of The Miami Heard, reports have indicated the captain could return as this Saturday against the Florida Panthers. The Pittsburgh Penguins insist they will give at least a day of notice so expect a further update tomorrow.

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UPDATE 11/16/11: Another day, another game missed for Sidney Crosby. According to Seth Rorabaugh of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazzette, via Twitter, Crosby will not face the Tampa Bay Lightning tomorrow. Keep him on your team’s IR for now…

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UPDATE 11/14/11: According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, via Twitter, Crosby will not play tomorrow night when the Pens host the Colorado Avalanche. Make sure to keep him on IR in any fantasy hockey league.

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UPDATE 11/10/11: According to Seth Rorabaugh of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, via Twitter, Crosby will not play the next two games. Expect another update shortly after the Pens play those two contests.

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UPDATE 10/31/11: It’s been a while since we last revised the Sidney Crosby thread, so here’s your latest update. According to the team, via Twitter, Crosby will not play either of the San Jose Sharks or the Los Angeles Kings. The Pens next game would then be Friday, November 11th when they host the Dallas Stars.

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UPDATES 10/13/11: This morning was incredibly busy Pittsburgh but the highlight remained centered on the team’s captain. Crosby made his way out onto the ice today in an appropriately colored jersey/helmet and practiced between Chris Kunitz and Matt Cooke. While this remains excellent news for fantasy hockey owners and Pens fans alike, the 24-year-old remains out indefinitely.

If you are wondering why Crosby won’t immediately jump back into the lineup, the answer is clear: he hasn’t been hit yet. While he experienced bumps and bruises over the course of his training, he needs close to game action in order to fully get back into game shape. From the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

Thus ends your Crosby news for today.

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UPDATE 10/11/11: If you weren’t already sick of the Sidney Crosby updates, well, we have another one for you. Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review broke the news this morning that Crosby will meet with doctors at some point this week, in an attempt to clear him for contact. From the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

Clearly, the next step in his recovery is receiving contact. While we were teased several weeks ago by Evgeni Malkin, via Twitter, that next milestone seems right around the corner. To further specify, Crosby told Shelley Anderson of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, via Twitter, that he won’t visit the doctor today, but will ‘this week’. Expect a further update at some point “this week”.

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UPDATE 10/10/11: Game number three has passed and Crosby is still not practicing with contact and still not ready for game play. Rob Rossi of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review preaches patience with the phenom, urging fans (and fantasy owners) to remain patient for his return. From Chipped Ice:

Rossi then continues to explain the news process and how we should expect to see Crosby updates. As he notes, at times there will be updates while at other times there will not. In short, no news is good news and bad news will be reported. Again, from Chipped Ice:

Stay patient, poolies.

UPDATE 10/4/11: Crosby continued his daily workouts without setbacks but will not be reevaluated until the team returns from their Western Conference swing, effectively ruling him out for three games. At this point, his earliest possible return looks like October 13th against the Washington Capitals.

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UPDATE 10/3/11: Crosby, according to Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, will miss at least the first seven days of the season after getting placed on IR. We already knew he would miss Thursday’s season opener against the Canucks but now he misses at least the first three regular season games.

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UPDATE 10/1/11: According to Shelly Anderson of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, via Twitter, Crosby ruled himself out of this week’s season opener. Stay tuned for further updates.

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UPDATE 9/29/11: Looks like Crosby continues to take significant strides with the Penguins. In today’s practice, the elite pivot skated with Matt Cooke and Pascal Dupuis on the team’s third line. Not only was he rumored to skate with contact but he also should be travelling with the team when they open the season in the Northwest. From Inside Pittsburgh Sports:

The Pittsburgh Penguins are not expecting Sidney Crosby to be ready for the start of the season, but Crosby is expected to travel with the team to Vancouver next week and practice with the team. Head coach Dan Bylsma said today that he expects Crosby to make the trip.

At this point you would only not draft Crosby because you felt he would not play at his previous level. While that point may still be valid, it would hurt more if you still pass him up in the second or third round.

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UPDATE 9/27/11: Crosby worked out for a second consecutive day in a controlled scrimmage, or simulated game as our Associate Editor Chris Wassel affectionately coined the term. While Crosby has not yet been cleared for contact, it sounds like that would be the next step. We will continue keeping you posted here at DailyFaceoff.com

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UPDATE 9/26/11: No setbacks to report from yesterday’s “controlled scrimmage.” Feel free to draft him accordingly.

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UPDATE 9/25/11: Crosby skated in a controlled scrimmage today, taking another step towards recovering. When questioned, the franchise player gave a vague but positive outlook on his status. From The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

“Everything’s been really good,” he said. “I haven’t run into any issues so far. It’s been pretty smooth. A day at a time, but it’s been a lot of fun being out there and getting back to doing the things you’re used to doing every day as a hockey player.”

If he has no setbacks from the action, Crosby could be ready for a less controlled scrimmage and eventually cleared for contact. Right now the Pens will continue to play it safe with The Ferrari.

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UPDATE 9/21/11: Crosby took some inadvertent bumps while playing in front of the net during practice. At this point his next test seems to be full-contact drills, which could be coming relatively soon. In fact, Crosby was quoted as wanted future enforcer Steve MacIntyre to deliver his first real hit. From The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

“It would be nice if [MacIntyre] got a hold of me with a good one, and then we’ll see how we do,” Crosby said.

While MacIntyre likely won’t jump at the opportunity to crush his captain and the organization’s franchise player, the musings are certainly another sign in the right direction. With his current downgraded O-Rank, Crosby could be had in some leagues in the third round. Getting fully healthy would warrant at least a second round pick; so draft away.

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UPDATE 9/18/11: Crosby practiced two days ago for an hour. Following that hour, which one would imagine most attendees held their breath watching, the phenom appears healthy. Considering he “never worked out this hard, or for that long” following the concussion, it would appear this practice is a larger benchmark.  From The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

His hour-long, on-ice workout at Consol Energy Center was “probably the longest [I’ve gone] at that pace,” Crosby said, and he plans to do it again today if no symptoms develop in the interim.

Draft accordingly, if you dare. Yahoo! recently downgraded his O-Rank into the 70s, making him a decent second round gamble and the perfect third-round prize.

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UPDATE 9/16/11: According to Josh Yohe of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, via Twitter, Crosby was cleared for contact today. Certainly a step in the right direction although it doesn’t guarantee his health moving forward. For now we can only wait and see whether his concussion-like symptoms reoccur.

UPDATE 9/15/11: Crosby will likely not take part in any part of camp, says coach Dan Blysma. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Bylsma said it has not been determined yet to what extent, if any, captain Sidney Crosby can participate in camp. Stay tuned for further updates.

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UPDATE 9/7/11: Crosby announced that he not only will miss the beginning of the regular season and training camp but that he is not yet cleared for contact. While this news appeared somewhat cryptic, there should be no mistake that the Penguins’ captain should be drafted in one-year leagues with a deflated price tag. Draft accordingly, and carefully, in all formats.

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UPDATE 8/25/11: It’s starting to look like Crosby won’t return for the pre-season or for the first game of the regular season. In fact, there is no timetable whatsoever regarding his recovery. From the Associated Press:

Crosby is expected to return to Pittsburgh in a few weeks and will keep working toward a return. Brisson said doctors believe Crosby will make a full recovery, they just can’t say how soon.

Stay tuned for any further updates on the subject and draft accordingly.

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Sidney Crosby ‘s status for this upcoming season appears to be in jeopardy. At least from a fantasy hockey perspective.

While Crosby continues to face concussion-related symptoms, his rumored “summer shutdown” was just that, a rumor. We know that right now Sid the Kid is not fully healthy, and returning to peak form by the beginning of the season seems unlikely; So how can we prepare for single-season fantasy hockey?

Well, for starters, we can monitor his progress and continue to do so. What better source could we possibly have than Pittsburgh Penguins GM Ray Shero. From Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

“I think he’s been good. Talking to him this weekend it seemed that way. Beside dealing with this injury he’s our captain, so whenever we’ve signed a player I’ve been in touch with him. That’s been a lot of it in term s of contact with Sid. I haven’t gone to him too much, ‘How you feeling?’”

“It’s been on an off at this point. He’s happy with his progress. We’re happy with his progress. Training camp is a month away. He’ll be evaluated before then.”

Thanks, Mr. Shero.

Sounds to me like he is working towards recovering and remains a very active member of the team and organization. What that means in terms of recovery is a different story but no need to panic just yet. In keeper leagues, you still hold the most dominant hockey player in the league; in single-season leagues his draft position could fall to the obligatory auto-drafter. An early prognosis, clearly, since as I reiterate: it’s early.

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