Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Penguins star Evgeni Malkin is expected to be out about three to four weeks after undergoing elbow surgery Monday, the team announced.

Dave Molinari of DK Pittsburgh Sports first reported the news Monday.  

It should put Malkin on track to return for training camp before the 2020-21 season, which will begin in December because of delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Pittsburgh's 2019-20 season ended quicker than expected with a loss to the Montreal Canadiens in the qualifying round.

Injuries were a problem for the Penguins all year, with Malkin missing time because of a soft tissue injury suffered just two games into the campaign. He was still productive when on the ice, totaling 74 points in 55 games this year to easily lead the team.

The center no stranger to injuries, having missed at least 10 games in seven of the past eight years. The one exception saw him finish in the top 10 of voting for the Hart Trophy as the NHL MVP after totaling 98 points in 78 games.

The 34-year-old remains an elite offensive talent whenever he is on the ice.

The winner of one Hart Trophy and two Art Ross Trophies, Malkin has averaged more than one point per game in 13 of his 14 years in the NHL. He has also been a key part of three Stanley Cup titles with the Pens.

His only negative is his injury history, which once again appears to be an issue for the veteran. But this surgery and the delayed restart will hopefully allow him to go into the 2020-21 season with a clean slate.

The Pittsburgh Penguins were eliminated from the postseason quicker than most expected, but general manager Jim Rutherford confirmed this isn't the end of the line for a core that has won three Stanley Cup titles since 2009. 

"I plan to move forward with the core. These are good players," Rutherford added in Tuesday's press conference. "They still have good hockey left in them. I always have to say, if some amazing trade comes along, you have to look at it, but I will not actively be looking at trying to trade our core players."

Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin have each spent at least 14 years in the NHL, all with the Penguins, helping the team become the most consistent contender in the sport. The team had reached the Stanley Cup playoffs in each of the last 13 years.

However, a 3-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens in the qualifying round ended Pittsburgh's run shockingly early this time around. Rutherford was clearly unhappy with the result.

"There is something wrong," he said, per Josh Yohe of The Athletic. "Changes need to be made."

Mike Sullivan has been the team's head coach for five seasons, leading the team to two titles, but he appears to be on the hot seat.

The Penguins still had a solid season despite dealing with terrible injury luck, including Crosby and Jake Guentzel missing significant stretches. They finished with the fifth-most points in the Eastern Conference and a seven-game series against the No. 4 Philadelphia 76ers could have been an interesting one in a normal season.

Of course, the coronavirus pandemic derailed the usual plans, leading to a 24-team restart and five-game series for everyone outside of the top four teams in each division.

The Penguins instead had a five-game series against the Canadiens, who would have been well out of the playoffs under regular circumstances. Some mistakes by Pittsburgh and strong play by Carey Price was enough to lead to a quick upset.

There appears to still be confidence this main group can contend for another Stanley Cup.

Crosby still had an efficient 47 points in 41 games this year, while Malkin had 74 points in 55 games. In a full season, these players would once again be among the top offensive players in the NHL. Letang was also reliable while averaging over 25 minutes on the ice per game for the sixth straight season.

If this group can stay healthy in 2020-21, the Penguins should be back in the familiar spot near the top of the standings.

The Pittsburgh Penguins' season ended early with a qualifying-round loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Friday, but there's a potential consolation prize that could make the upset worth it and then some. 

Pittsburgh will now enter the NHL's Phase 2 of the Draft Lottery, giving the club a 12.5 percent chance of landing the No. 1 overall pick and the opportunity to draft uber-prospect Alexis Lafreniere. 

Because a placeholder team won the initial NHL draft lottery, the league will hold a second drawing made up of the eight teams eliminated from qualifying play during the restart.

Despite finishing third in the Metropolitan Division with 86 points, the Penguins are in that group alongside the New York Rangers, Nashville Predators and Florida Panthers. Each of the eight teams has an equal chance of winning the second lottery. The losing teams will all have their draft positions determined by the reverse order of points percentage.

Pittsburgh has drafted No. 1 overall three times in its history, grabbing a surefire Hall of Famer each time with Mario Lemieux (1984), Marc-Andre Fleury (2003) and Sidney Crosby (2005).

Lafreniere would be a worthy addition to that list. The Canadian star has scored at least 100 points in 50-plus games during his last two seasons playing in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League for Rimouski Oceanic—which just so happens to be the same program that produced Crosby 15 years ago. 

The Pittsburgh Penguins announced Monday they will sideline nine players from their training camp roster who came into contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19.

The team added this move was "made out of an abundance of caution in an effort to avoid exposure to anyone else within the organization."

They will not be allowed to participate in team activities until it is deemed safe for them to do so.

NHL protocols require two negative tests at least 24 hours apart in order for players who test positive to return to activities regardless of symptoms. Players can also self-isolate for 10 days from the time of a positive test.

The Penguins previously announced one unnamed player tested positive for the coronavirus in June but recovered.

Training camps for each NHL team began Monday as part of Phase 3 of the league's restart plan. Pittsburgh is expected to travel to its hub in Toronto on July 26 before games get underway in August.

While the top four teams in each conference have a bye to the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Penguins finished one spot out and will be the No. 5 seed in the qualifying games.

They are set take on the No. 12 Montreal Canadiens in a five-game series, with Game 1 scheduled for Aug. 1.

Losing nine players could be significant, even with a training camp roster that included 30 skaters and unlimited goalies.

The Pittsburgh Penguins announced Thursday one unidentified player tested positive for the coronavirus but is "recovered and feeling well." 

He was isolated in his home after experiencing symptoms and was not in Pittsburgh.

Several NHL players tested positive for COVID-19 shortly after the 2019-20 season was paused because of the pandemic. At least three Colorado Avalanche players tested positive, while at least one Ottawa Senators player tested positive. 

The latest news comes amid the NHL announcing its plans to restart its 2019-20 season, featuring a postseason with 24 teams competing for the Stanley Cup title.

The games are expected to be held in "hub" cities, although the final locations have not yet been announced. 

Despite the ongoing pandemic, which has led to more than 107,000 deaths in the United States, per CNN.com, the NHL has plans to keep players safe.

"We will have a rigorous daily testing protocol where players are tested every evening and those results are obtained before they would leave their hotel rooms the next morning," deputy commissioner Bill Daly said, via ESPN.com. "So we'll know if we have a positive test and whether the player has to self-quarantine himself as a result of that positive test."

The Penguins are expected to begin the playoffs with a best-of-five series against the Montreal Canadiens once play resumes.

Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby has added his voice to the chorus of athletes speaking out about the killing of George Floyd on May 25. 

In a statement posted by his foundation, Crosby said Floyd's killing "cannot be ignored" and pledged to "listen and educate myself on how I can help make a difference."

San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane, who is one of only 43 players of color in the NHL, appeared on ESPN's First Take last week urging star white athletes like Crosby to use their platform to speak out because it's the "only way we're going to actually create that unified anger to create that necessary change, especially when you talk about systematic racism." 

The aftermath of Floyd's killing while in the custody of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has seen passionate reaction from athletes and citizens across the country. Chauvin was shown on video pinning Floyd facedown on the ground with his knee on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes while Floyd, who was being detained after an alleged forgery, repeatedly told Chauvin he was unable to breathe.

Protests against the killing and racial injustice have taken place in cities throughout the United States for the past eight days. 

Chauvin, along with the three officers who were with him at the time Floyd was killed, were fired on May 26. The Minnesota state prosecutor arrested and charged Chauvin with felony second-degree manslaughter and third-degree murder on Friday. 

Pittsburgh Penguins CEO and President David Morehouse was seen protecting a local news cameraman named Ian Smith after the man was attacked during the ongoing protests in downtown Pittsburgh after the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died in Minneapolis police custody Monday.

"Smith said he was dragged to the ground by rioters and struck repeatedly near PPG Paints Arena's entrance facing Centre Avenue," Seth Rorabaugh of TribLive.com relayed Sunday. "Additionally, his camera was destroyed. Morehouse, it turned out, helped Smith get inside the facility, said longtime KDKA personality Larry Richert."

A Penguins spokesman confirmed Morehouse's involvement, and Smith commented on what happened to him:

"I had called Ian, and Ian at that time was actually in Mercy Hospital," KDKA on-air personality Larry Richert said, per Rorabaugh. "He was laying down on a stretcher waiting to get a CT scan. I asked him, 'Do you know who helped you? Who saved you?' He said, 'I don’t. I would really love to know.'

"When I hung up with him, I texted [KDKA-TV reporter] Paul Martino asking if he was all right, and he told me it was David Morehouse that helped save those guys."

Smith also tweeted he had returned home from the hospital.

The statue of NHL Hall of Famer and Penguins legend Mario Lemieux was vandalized during the protests Saturday:

The city of Pittsburgh issued a curfew from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. ET for Saturday and Sunday.

Pittsburgh Penguins star center Sidney Crosby is donating 100,000 meals to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to NHL.com. 

"I saw the people of Pittsburgh coming together to help one another and I wanted to be a part of that," he said in a statement. "The Food Bank and its staff have done an amazing job providing for so many people and I am proud to partner with them during this challenging time."

Those meals will be distributed through 11 different counties in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Over the past seven weeks during the coronavirus pandemic, the Food Bank has delivered over 4.2 million pounds of food. 

"Sidney is such an incredible person both on and off the ice," the Food Bank's president and CEO, Lisa Scales, said in a statement. "He's provided great joy to this region during his tenure with the Penguins, and now he is helping us provide food assistance to those who need it most during the COVID-19 crisis."

Pittsburgh Penguins superstar center Sidney Crosby was voted the NHL's most complete player as part of the 2019-20 NHL Players Association poll released Tuesday. 

ESPN's Greg Wyshynski reported Crosby received 45.4 percent of the vote from his peers in the most complete player category. The Boston Bruins' Patrice Bergeron finished second at 25.5 percent.

Here's a look at some other notable results, per Wyshynski:

• Player to win one game: Crosby
• Best forward: Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers)
• Best defenseman: Victor Hedman (Tampa Bay Lightning)
• Best goaltender: Carey Price (Montreal Canadiens)
• Best female player: Marie-Philip Poulin (Canada)
• Best jersey: Chicago Blackhawks

Crosby was in the middle of another terrific season when it was indefinitely delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The 32-year-old Canadian recorded 47 points (16 goals and 31 assists) in 41 games. It brought his career total to 1,263 points across 984 appearances since the Penguins selected him with the first overall pick in the 2005 NHL draft.

His career resume includes eight All-Star selections, three Stanley Cup championships and two Hart Trophies as the league's most valuable player.