After a sluggish start to last season, the Pittsburgh Penguins rebounded to make a seemingly improbable run to the Stanley Cup. That success was followed by a quiet offseason, which led the Penguins to think they were set up for another deep playoff run.
Although the Penguins' confidence hasn't taken a big hit, their early-season expectations lessened a bit on Monday, when general manager Jim Rutherford announced that captain Sidney Crosby sustained a concussion that will keep him out indefinitely.
It remains to be seen how Pittsburgh attempts to make up for Crosby's absence coming off of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs, where he scored 19 points (six goals) to help the Penguins win the Stanley Cup in June. Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said Pittsburgh would rely on veteran leadership to steer it through Crosby's injury.
Other than the loss of Crosby, the most notable change will come in goal where Marc-Andre Fleury is expected to enter the season as No 1. Fleury is accustomed to opening a season as the starter but wasn't sure that would be the case this time after Matt Murray's superb play helped Pittsburgh win the Cup.
That changed Sept. 24, when it was announced Murray would miss 3-6 weeks with a broken hand sustained playing for Team North America in the World Cup of Hockey 2016. That put Fleury back into the starting role, at least until Murray, who began skating on his own Oct. 5, returns.
Tristan Jarry, 21, will begin the season as Fleury's backup after going 17-13-3 with a 2.69 goals-against average and .905 save percentage with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League last season.
Before Fleury sustained his second concussion in four months on March 31, he might have been Pittsburgh's most consistent player. He was 35-17-6 with a 2.29 GAA and .921 save percentage. Murray replaced Fleury and went 15-6 in the playoffs with a 2.08 goals-against average.
The Penguins also get back defenseman Trevor Daley after a broken ankle forced him to miss the final nine games of the Stanley Cup run. His return will help mask the loss of Ben Lovejoy, who signed with the New Jersey Devils as a free agent. Daley had 22 points (six goals) in 53 games with Pittsburgh after being acquired in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks on Dec. 14.
Forward Bryan Rust, who played right wing with center Evgeni Malkin and left wing Chris Kunitz, missed the beginning of training camp with a broken finger sustained in Game 6 of the Final. If Rust does miss the start of the season, Scott Wilson could fill the void. He scored six points (five goals) in 24 games with Pittsburgh last season before a broken ankle ended his season March 11.
