Sidney Crosby is feeling the effects of the shortened preseason in his adjustment to playing with a new linemate.
Crosby mentioned having a week less to prepare for the season when talking about skating alongside Nick Robertson Monday in his annual appearance on Mark Madden’s radio show on 105.9 The X.
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The NHL’s new labor agreement gave teams less than two weeks between the start of training camp and the start of the regular season.
In Crosby’s case, that has impacted his ability to adjust to Robertson taking over what was once Bryan Rust’s place on his wing opposite Rickard Rakell.
“It’s a shortened camp this year, so we have a lot less time to play together… but I think we’ve gotten better as it’s gone along,” Crosby said Monday about Robertson.
“He’s a guy that’s got a lot of speed, a really good shot, so just want to try to find him in good areas to get that shot off. And he works hard on both sides of the puck, so hopefully we can force some turnovers and he can create with his speed.”
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Crosby wasn’t the only member of the Penguins mentioning the impact of the shortened preseason Monday. Kyle Dubas said in his season-opening press conference he felt Joel Blomqvist was hurt by the Penguins only having four preseason games to split between him, Artūrs Šilovs and Sergei Murashov.
Crosby also discussed his retirement timeline in his radio appearance. As he’s mentioned repeatedly this offseason, he said he’s hoping to play for multiple years.
The Penguins captain also said he sees the 2030 Olympics as too far ahead to think about, but considers the 2028 World Cup of Hockey a “great target.”
“When I say I don’t know, that’s the truth,” Crosby said about his career timeline. “I think, when you get to my age… it comes down to a lot of things. It’s how you feel physically, how you feel mentally. Just as far as loving it, and having the passion to compete and put what you need to put into it on a daily basis, that’s got to be there.
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“Right now, it’s there. I feel great. I still love it just as much as I did coming into the league.”
Crosby is set to kick off his age-39 campaign Wednesday when the puck drops at 7:30 p.m. ET for a playoff rematch at the Philadelphia Flyers.
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