PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without their captain for the foreseeable future.
The Penguins placed Sidney Crosby on injured reserve on Wednesday and simultaneously removed Kris Letang from injured reserve.
Crosby is expected to be out for a minimum of four weeks.
Crosby sustained his lower-body injury during the second period of Team Canada’s Olympic quarterfinal game.
Despite reports that he would try and play in both the semifinal and gold medal game, Crosby never returned to the ice during the Winter Olympics.
Crosby addressed the media at practice on Wednesday, saying he’s known the severity of the injury since the night he got hurt.
“As far as the timeline, you’re just trying to wrap your head around each day and giving yourself a chance to play,” Crosby said. " Don’t really know what to expect, haven’t had this type of injury before."
Crosby said he’s confident the team can play well in his absence.
“We’re at this point because of our team play. It’s not because of any one person. We’ve done it as a group. Different guys have stepped up. It’s going to be an important stretch here, but I’m confident,” he said.
While the composition of the Penguins’ top line isn’t clear at this point, Rickard Rakell did practice as the top line center on Tuesday. Freshly recalled Avery Hayes also practiced on the top line with Rakell and Bryan Rust.
The Penguins face the New Jersey Devils on Thursday.
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