Pittsburgh Penguins: Have Years Of Hits Taken Their Toll On Sidney Crosby?

Are Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby’s early season woes the result of a bad system, or have years of wear and tear began to slow him down?

Along with calls for the removal of head coach Mike Johnston and even general manager Jim Rutherford, there have been two other frequent observations in the 2015-16 season from Pittsburgh Penguins faithful.

The first is that Marc-Andre Fleury is the main piece keeping this team afloat.

The second? Sidney Crosby isn’t scoring like Sidney Crosby anymore.

“A boxer who relies on guile and defensive skill can stretch out his career far longer than one who takes a punch to land a punch. Crosby has been very much the latter. He’s never been Floyd Mayweather. He’s more Miguel Cotto, if not Arturo Gatti.” – Gare Joyce

Is Sidney Crosby’s lack of form due to the system Mike Johnston straps his team with, or is this an issue that might be a little more permanent?

There’s no denying Sid is getting older. At the ripe age of 28, he’s in the back end of most hockey player’s prime years. Crosby is not most players, though. He’s the best player in the world.

Regardless, barring an uptick in production over the next 56 games, this is likely to be the second straight season his production has dropped. As of Sunday night he’s on pace for a mere 57 points this season. The Penguins increasing reliance on a brand of dump and chase hockey they are not built for is limiting the offense.

It’s limiting Crosby too.

Hits like the Brandon Dubinsky crosscheck are not uncommon when it comes to the Pittsburgh Penguins superstar. He often gives as good as he gets, however, and has never shied away from the hard areas of the ice that other players with his skill often avoid. Injuries have been an unfortunate highlight of his career and the two-way game required of Crosby at center is physically demanding.

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Could the wear and tear of a more straightforward game be contributing to Crosby’s down year? It’s a possibility.

Sportsnet writer Gare Joyce noted that Crosby’s play style takes a different tack from others of his ilk.

Joyce opined that “a boxer who relies on guile and defensive skill can stretch out his career far longer than one who takes a punch to land a punch. Crosby has been very much the latter. He’s never been Floyd Mayweather. He’s more Miguel Cotto, if not Arturo Gatti.” While Sidney Crosby will never be mistaken for a net front guy like Patric Hornqvist, he doesn’t exactly flit along the perimeter like Patrick Kane either.

Gare Joyce is not alone in questioning the longevity of Crosby.

“What’s worth asking through the season is if these guys’ aging curves might happen a little sharper than most other players because of the games they play and the amount of hockey they’ve played.” – Sam Fels

In an interesting article on The Committed Indian, Sam Fels compares similar drops in production from Jonathan Toews and Anze Kopitar to Crosby and questions whether it is worth asking “if these guys’ aging curves might happen a little sharper than most other players because of the games they play and the amount of hockey they’ve played.”

It is more than an interesting coincidence that Crosby, Toews, and Kopitar have all seen their possession numbers and production begin to drop in and around their 27th birthdays.

Despite that, when I watch the Pittsburgh Penguins on the ice this season I can’t help but feel that the greatest weight on the shoulder’s of Sidney Crosby is not age.

It’s Mike Johnston’s offensive system, or more succinctly the lack thereof.

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It is reasonable to assume that the wear and tear of a decade plus in the NHL will begin to lessen the impact of Sidney Crosby. Those things are likely already contributing to some degree. That is part of why Sid will never see another 100-plus point season.

His nine points in the last eight games (four goals and five assists) tell me he still has the tools to be a point per game player, however.

He simply needs to once again be given the opportunity to showcase them.