It’s still not clear if Sidney Crosby will miss any time with the lower-body injury that sidelined him for the last two games of the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics.
Penguins coach Dan Muse told reporters that Monday was a travel day for Crosby, who received his silver medal after Canada’s loss to Team USA on Sunday in Milan.
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“There’s still more information that we need to get… there’s a couple more days here, before we play a game,” Muse said Monday.
The Penguins are seemingly preparing for the possibility of Crosby missing time. The team called up Avery Hayes on Monday as part of what Muse described as a “contingency plan.”
“It’s also just, see something different. See what the options might be. And I think that’s all we’re doing right now is just looking at, if we do get to the point where we need to explore different options coming off the break, then we’ve got the practice days to do it,” Muse said.
Hayes spent Monday skating on the Penguins’ top line, with Rickard Rakell sliding over to take Crosby’s usual spot at center.
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Muse said he would be “very comfortable” with playing Rakell at center should Crosby miss time after seeing him in the position this preseason.
Hayes, who scored twice in his Penguins debut during the last game before the Olympic break, has since gone back to the AHL to record two hat tricks in a span of five games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Even if Crosby is able to play Thursday, the Penguins could potentially consider keeping him up for another shot at NHL play depending on how practice looks later this week.
The Penguins have a scheduled day off Tuesday, per Trib Live’s Seth Rorabaugh. That could mean Penguins fans won’t find out more about Crosby’s status until practice Wednesday.
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The Penguins have a busy stretch coming up. After Thursday’s home game against Jack Hughes and the New Jersey Devils, the Pens are taking on a back-to-back set at Madison Square Garden on Saturday and against the visiting Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday.
