Sidney Crosby expected to miss at least four weeks after Olympic lower-body injury

On Wednesday, the Pittsburgh Penguins gave fans the unfortunate news that captain Sidney Crosby would be out at least four weeks with an injury, one he suffered during the 2026 Olympics:

Crosby suffered the injury after Czechia defenceman Radko Gudas gave him a hit at center ice and Crosby's leg awkwardly buckled underneath him.

This is a tough bit of news for the Penguins who are looking to resume their season on a hot note but without their captain it's going to be much harder.

There was a lot of debate over the nature of the injury and while the Penguins haven't been transparent in that regard, we at least know it's something lower-body.

He tried his best to make his return to the Team Canada lineup in time for the gold medal game, but he was unable to get healthy enough. Though him skating ahead of the game and trying to get ready was a positive sign -- it's clear that was more heart than health.

Crosby, 38, has been great yet again this season with 59 points in 56 games (27 goals, 32 assists) while providing that elite two-way play that he's so known for. For Pittsburgh, this could alter their plans at the deadline, as a Crosby injury is irreplaceable but they may need to try to bring in a scoring threat.

The projected return timeline is four weeks, though Crosby is another beast when it comes to his rehab and recovery so he could return earlier. But if not, that puts the Penguins in the unenviable position of only getting him back with little time to spare.

Crosby could return around the end of March, but that might be too late considering there may be less than 10 games for him to get back in the swing of things and also be at the top level expected of him.

Either way, it's a rough bit of news for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and all we can hope as fans is that this injury doesn't affect Crosby's career long-term.

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