PITTSBURGH - Sidney Crosby is rejoining his teammates for game-day skates, but it appears increasingly less likely the NHL's biggest star will heal from a concussion in time to play again this season for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Crosby, sidelined since early January after sustaining two hard hits in as many games, isn't cleared yet to practise or for anything resembling contact -- only to skate with his teammates on game days. Some days he will just work out off the ice, as he has been doing since he resumed skating nearly three weeks ago.
Penguins general manager Ray Shero said with the playoffs only two weeks away, there might not be enough time for Crosby to return for the post-season.
"Our captain is coming back any time soon? That is not our expectation," Shero said Wednesday. "Having said that, I don't want to take hope away from the player, because he's feeling good about himself. But when I talk to Dan Bylsma, our coach, about a date, a certain date about when Sid might be coming back, the certain date might be in training camp."
Bylsma said several more steps await Crosby in his lengthy rehabilitation, including getting cleared to practise and for taking body contact. The Penguins' doctors are determining each step, and there is no timetable for any of them.
"There's no anticipation for the next step, or if it's at all this year," Bylsma said.
The 23-year-old Crosby, who led the Penguins to a Stanley Cup championship two years ago, was enjoying his best season with 66 points in 41 games before he was hurt. He was the runaway leader in the NHL scoring race, and he remains in the top 20 despite not playing for nearly three months.
The Penguins are 19-12-5 without Crosby and are second to Philadelphia in the Atlantic Division after dropping a 5-2 decision to the Flyers on Tuesday night. Pittsburgh will play Thursday night at Tampa Bay and Saturday at Florida, and Crosby was expected to accompany the Penguins on the trip.
