The Pittsburgh Penguins will take the ice for the first time in the 2014-15 season tomorrow afternoon at Consol Energy Center. The team’s biggest stars, however, will not.
General Manager Jim Rutherford announced this morning that centers Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin will be held out of practice with undisclosed injuries. Both players were injured in workouts leading up to training camp. The team gave no indication of the severity of either players’ injury.
The Penguins seem to have been cursed by injuries over the last few seasons, and this offseason is no exception to that rule.
Crosby had been recovering from a wrist injury sustained last season, and at one point contemplated surgery. Crosby’s usual linemate Pascal Dupuis missed the second half of last season after undergoing reconstructive knee surgery, and has also not yet been cleared for practice.
Winger Beau Bennett had offseason surgery on his wrist and 2014 first-round draft pick Kasperi Kapanen was held out of last week’s prospect tournament with a hand injury.
The only completely healthy forwards in the top six are veteran winger Chris Kunitz and Patric Hornqvist, who was acquired from Nashville in the James Neal trade.
Obviously, the team hopes to have some of those players back when the puck drops for real in October. In the meantime, these injuries will give some of the other players in camp an opportunity to impress new head coach Mike Johnston and his staff.
Brandon Sutter, Nick Spaling, and Marcel Goc would all be candidates to step up into a top six role at center.
Sutter would be the logical choice for one of those spots. He played several games on the second line last season and during the playoffs. Spaling, also acquired in the Nashville, has played center and wing for the Predators in the past. Goc was on one of Florida’s top lines when the Penguins traded for him at last year’s trading deadline.
At wing, Steve Downie was signed in the offseason from Philadelphia and played top six minutes when he was in Tampa Bay under current Pens assistant coach Rick Tocchet. Jayson Megna filled in when injuries struck last season, and could be given that opportunity again.
The first practice open to the public will be on Saturday at 9 a.m. The pre-season schedule begins on September 22 when the Penguins host the Detroit Red Wings.
