Safe to say Dan Bylmsa wouldn’t be contemplating possible linemates for Sidney Crosby if the captain’s return to the Pittsburgh lineup wasn’t imminent. Which makes the coach’s comments today all the more exciting for Penguins fans.
“Great, great problem to ponder to think about, what line he would fit on,” Bylsma said, as reported by NHL.com. “Certainly, the (Chris) Kunitz-(Evgeni) Malkin-(James) Neal line has been spectacular and probably has been the best line in hockey the last two, two-and-a-half months. Having Sidney Crosby in that mix, the best player in the world, certainly is nice to ponder. Sid has been working hard, and at the trade deadline, there was talk he could be the best acquisition you could ever make. We’ve won some hockey games but we all know that adding that into our lineup would be the best acquisition we could make, and we welcome that sooner than later.”
Sunday’s home game against the Bruins is the one many are targeting for a Crosby comeback, though that’s the earliest he would play.
Assuming the Kunitz-Malkin-Neal trio stays together, Crosby could center Pascal Dupuis and Steve Sullivan, with Jordan Staal reprising his role as the best third-line center in the NHL.
