CRANBERRY, Pa. -- Watch Sidney Crosby streak around the ice, see him snap off accurate wrist shots, and you could be forgiven for believing that his return to the Penguins' lineup might be best measured in minutes.
But Crosby, who is recovering from wrist surgery that will force him to miss his fifth consecutive game when the Penguins face the Maple Leafs Saturday at 7:08 p.m. at PPG Paints Arena, said Friday that he hasn't set a target date to begin playing, and that there are significant hurdles to be cleared before he does.
"I haven't really had any force (applied to the wrist)," he said after the Penguins' practice at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. "Whether it be faceoffs or lifting sticks or going against guys, that sort of thing. Battling. Pushing around. Shoving. Those are things I haven't been able to do. When I can do that comfortably and be able to do it without pain -- or just being able to kind of manage those things -- I think it will be a big step. ... Faceoffs are something I do 20, 25 times a game, so that's something that definitely has to be there."
Crosby said the damage that eventually led to his operation stemmed from a hit by Ryan Reaves, then of St. Louis, in 2014.
"It's something I've kind of managed since then," he said. "I was able to avoid having to do any surgeries or anything like that until last year."
He had an arthroscopic procedure in 2020, and said his most recent operation was different, adding that it can't be repeated on that wrist.
"It's definitely something I can't have done again," Crosby said. "Maybe the other hand, if I have to."
In the past, he said, being away from the rigors of the game during the offseason had been enough to keep his wrist issue under control. This time, however, rest and a rehab program didn't have the same impact.
"This year, it just wouldn't come back over the summer," he said. "You try to avoid surgery. It's a last resort."
He acknowledged, though, that it's not unexpected for a lengthy career to necessitate one or more surgeries at some point.
"Everyone deals with stuff when you play long enough," Crosby said. "I've played a lot of games, and things kind of add up. ... It wasn't terrible. It was just something that was kind of nagging."
Before participating in the team's practice, Crosby worked out on the ice with Evgeni Malkin, who is recovering from knee surgery. During the Penguins' workout, he centered the second line, working between Jason Zucker and Danton Heinen, for some drills, and also got time on the No. 2 power play.
Kasperi Kapanen said Crosby looked "phenomenal" during the workout, and while that might be a bit of an overstatement, it's clear that the Penguins are eager to get him in the lineup.
But even though they have not had him or Malkin, among other big-minutes players, the Penguins are off to a 2-0-2 start.
"Everyone is playing the same way," Crosby said. "Every line that goes out there is playing hard and playing fast. We're not giving teams a lot of time and space. Our work ethic is kind of setting the tone for everything else."
