Insider Greg Wyshynski weighs in on Sidney Crosby & $47,100,000 superstar’s availability for 4 Nations Face-Off

NHL reporter Greg Wyshynski talked about the injury concerns surrounding Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby ahead of the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off. Wyshynski, who is an NHL writer for ESPN, was on TSN's "First Up with Korolnek and Colaiacovo" on Thursday and discussed the mounting injuries to players ahead of the tournament.

“I think Crosby is very much in that same boat, where it'd be great to play an exhibition tournament like this that replaces the all-star game,” Wyshynski said. "But ultimately, you know, he's accomplished all he needs to accomplish on the international stage, and probably would just like to be healthy for the stretch run, and also probably north of an eye on potentially playing in 2026.”

He added that some NHL veterans with extensive international experience might opt to sit out of the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off and spoke about Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes' fitness status.

“Look, he's (Quinn’s) clearly got (the) motivation,” Wyshynski said. He clearly wants to represent the US on the team. I know it's been exciting for all these guys as this thing gets closer to, you know, start rationalizing what it’s going to be like. But again, like, it's the same thing as the All-Star game…if you're not feeling up to it, you're not going to play.”

Wyshynski also said that he reported a few weeks ago that there were no regular-season repercussions for missing the tournament.

Sidney Crosby’s injury a concern for Team Canada ahead of the 4 Nations Face-Off

Sidney Crosby got tangled with two opposing players on Tuesday when the Pittsburgh Penguins hosted the New Jersey Devils. He left the ice for an extended time and favored his left arm, according to commentators. Although he returned later in the game and downplayed the injury in the postgame media session, he didn’t join his teammates for practice on Wednesday.

The Penguins’ management announced that Crosby was being evaluated for an upper-body injury and might miss their next game against the New York Rangers on Friday.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said in a media session, via The Chronicle Herald. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Obviously, Sid is an important guy for us, he’s a tough guy to replace. I’m stating the obvious there.”

Crosby has less than a week to recover as Canada plays its first match in the 4 Nations Face-Off on Wednesday against Sweden.