$59,500,000 Jets star placed on alert by Team Canada amidst Sidney Crosby's mysterious injury status for 4 Nations Face-Off

Team Canada captain Sidney Crosby missed his first game of the season on Friday due to injury, throwing his participation in the 4 Nations Face-Off into doubt. NHL insiders have speculated on who could replace the talismanic center should he be ruled out.

TSN's Darren Dreger believes Winnipeg Jets' Mark Scheifele is the frontrunner to replace Crosby. On Saturday, the analyst tweeted:

“With a full slate of games today and 2 tomorrow, including Tampa Bay, it’s believed Winnipeg Jets star, Mark Scheifele has been placed on alert by Canada in the event of another injury or Sidney Crosby not being ready for the Four Nations Faceoff.”

Scheifele, who signed a seven-year, $59.5 million contract with the Jets in 2023, is among the leading scorers in the league (31 goals). Experts claimed that there were injury rumors in November and that a dry patch kept him off Canada’s roster. The Jets' forward has put that behind him, scoring 18 goals in the 29 games since the roster was announced.

“Because there’s some banged-up situations his name has popped up again, yeah,” Jets coach Scott Arniel said on Friday via The Winnipeg Sun. “I think he should be on the team.”

Sidney Crosby missed his first game since 2022

Crosby was injured in the third period of Tuesday's game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and New Jersey Devils. He went to the locker room for treatment and, according to commentators, seemed to be favoring his left arm as he left the ice. The Penguins captain returned later in the game and downplayed his injury in the press conference afterward.

“I just got tangled up,” Crosby told reporters.

However, he did not skate in the team practice on Wednesday and only did some light drilling on Thursday before sitting out Friday's game against the New York Rangers.

The 37-year-old’s recent absence was the first time he has missed a game all season. Crosby hadn’t missed a game for the Penguins for 1,037 days. The last game he missed was in the 2022 season and coincidentally, that game was against the Rangers as well.

Penguins coach Mike Sullivan has said that they are monitoring the situation and taking it day by day.

On Jan. 1, Crosby said he was excited to play on the same team as fellow Nova Scotians Brad Marchand and Nathan MacKinnon in the 4 Nations Face-Off.

"Yeah, it's special," Crosby said. "I mean, growing up there, I think it's just something that we appreciate that we have the opportunity to do that.

The Penguins face the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday, their final game before the break.