Sidney Crosby's Concussion: What it Means for the Washington Capitals
On Monday, Pittsburgh Penguins star forward Sidney Crosby was diagnosed with a concussion. What will this mean for the Washington Capitals this Thursday night and onward?
For the Washington Capitals, Sidney Crosby has been one of the biggest obstacles in the Caps quest for the Stanley Cup. They won’t see him this Thursday, however, as Crosby has been diagnosed with a concussion after a practice. Likely, it will mean that Pittsburgh will be without their star player for a while. I will not be talking about how this affects Pittsburgh, though.
What I will discuss is how this will affect the Caps not only in the opening game, but in the start of the season as well. Obviously, when it comes to the match-up, the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins were almost even last season. However, Pittsburgh had third line depth that helped them get past Washington in the second round. Washington addressed that concern with the addition of Lars Eller, so it’s safe to say that both teams are nearly even once again this season.
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Still, the fact that Sidney Crosby has been diagnosed with a concussion once again means he will likely miss time. While I am certain that nobody wishes for Crosby to sit out due to this injury, it does mean that it’s an opportunity for the Capitals to take advantage and get off to a hot start in the Metropolitan Division. With Crosby’s history surrounding concussions, it opens the door to other teams eager to dethrone last season’s champions. That includes the Washington Capitals.
Crosby has had a long history of sitting out due to concussion-like symptoms. They started in 2011 after former Washington Capital David Steckel hit him during the Winter Classic. He played a couple games after that, but ended up missing the rest of that season. These concussion symptoms lingered going into the following season and he missed 60 games due to it.
Ultimately, the Washington Capitals must get off to a good start, regardless of whether or not Sidney Crosby is on the ice this Thursday. Pittsburgh still has one of the more talented rosters in the league, Crosby or no Crosby. For the Capitals, they cannot afford to start this season slow.
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