The Penguins went 0-2-1 without Crosby in the lineup and have just one win in their last 10 games.
The team sits at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings but Crosby has looked like his typical self to begin the season, collecting eight goals and 19 points in 16 games.
General manager Dale Tallon believes Trocheck will return to the Panthers' lineup at some point this season.
"Vinny is a tremendous competitor and leader for our club," Tallon said. "It's never easy to see a player and person like him suffer an injury like this, but we are confident that he will make a full recovery and be back on the ice with our team this season."
Trocheck was injured on an awkward fall during Monday's tilt with the Ottawa Senators. He left the game on a stretcher.
Warning: Video containsgraphiccontent
Vinny Trocheck being stretchered off the ice after this... Very tough to watch. pic.twitter.com/fVku3XaxxA
Kucherov faced a similar situation to Nylander's prior to the 2016-17 campaign, as he was a restricted free agent coming off his entry-level deal, missing training camp as well as the entire preseason before agreeing on a three-year bridge contract worth $4.76 million per year.
Nylander has missed 21 games amid his standoff with the first-place Maple Leafs and needs to come to an agreement with the club by Dec. 1 in order to play this season.
The entire saga has been one of the league's most persistent storylines since it began, but if Kucherov was faced with the same situation today as he endured two years ago, he could see himself in the same boat as Nylander.
"I would have done the same thing," Kucherov told Joe Smith of The Athletic. "I don't know what's happening right now there (in Toronto), but to have a guy like him on any team, every team wants him.
"He's still going to be a great player; great playmaker; great goalscorer. Everybody has their opinion on him, but as soon as he gets to play, he's going to prove to everyone - they'll just be talking about hockey. If he thinks he's right, good for him."
Both the Maple Leafs and Nylander's camp have expressed their desire to come to terms on a long-term deal, but with less than two weeks remaining until the deadline, there's no clear indication as to how the impasse will end.
Few people love to break down every element of the game more than NHL coaches, and even within that subset, few coaches have loved analyzing hockey more than Ken Hitchcock. A one-man Wikipedia for the sport, Hitchcock has a complete resume and his pedigree cannot be minimized.
But, is he the right man to step in and try to salvage the latest in what has become a maddening string of NHL seasons for the Edmonton Oilers? There are doubts, and they’re not small ones, either.
This isn’t to suggest the NHL game has passed Hitchcock by - it hasn’t. The 66-year-old posted a 42-32-8 record in 2017-18 with the Dallas Stars, his second and final stint with the team he led to a Stanley Cup victory in 1998-99. Following that season, Hitchcock sailed off into the sunset and into retirement, almost 20 years after he’d steered them to a championship.
This was hockey synchronicity in a manner most hockey men never experience. Most coaches are unceremoniously shown the door long before they believe their “best before” label says they ought to be. It speaks volumes about the respect Hitchcock has earned.
But here we are today, and the giant embedded emotional and professional tractor beam that comes along with being a coach has pulled Hitchcock back into a job exactly 221 days after his retirement. The Oilers brought him in Tuesday after firing highly respected Todd McLellan the same day, and now, it’s truly full circle for the Edmonton native.
In a way, it’s admirable to see how deeply he loves his life’s work, and how hard it is for him to get it out of his blood. That’s what hockey lifers do: they want to be there until their last breath, gliding around on a pad of ice, drawing up the next potential forward combination or set offensive play.
Andy Devlin / National Hockey League / Getty
But the job of good organizations isn’t to permit even the most accomplished hockey lifers to stay around until it’s clear they’ve stayed too long. And this is where the Oilers are today. Searching, yet again, for answers for a roster that has one of, if not the greatest player on the planet in Connor McDavid. Edmonton GM Peter Chiarelli, now well beyond his third year on the job, has used one of his remaining credibility bullets (most of the others have been used on trades we’ll get to below) to hand the job to Hitchcock and pray he’ll succeed where so many have failed since the summer of 2006.
However, if McLellan - who did guide the Oilers to their first playoff appearance since that summer - couldn’t find a way to make Edmonton’s roster jell and propel consistently, who’s to say Hitchcock can? In Hitchcock’s almost six years in St. Louis, he had a far better defense corps than Chiarelli has handed him. You can also argue that Hitchcock’s Blues had a more balanced group of forwards.
True, Hitchcock hasn’t had a player like McDavid since Mike Modano in Dallas - and the reality is, McDavid is a better, faster competitor than he ever was. Now, he's being asked to find a system that makes the most of his star's talent, and will also be tasked with rejuvenating the career of moribund winger Milan Lucic and coach the massive letdown that is Jesse Puljujarvi.
That sounds like an order so tall, only the coaching equivalent of a McDavid could succeed. Instead, the keys are being handed to Hitchcock, almost entirely due to his brand-name recognition. Having a marquee bench boss brought in at this point feels like a shield being applied to the Oilers’ issues, the grand majority of which have been created by Chiarelli.
Andy Devlin / National Hockey League / Getty
It wasn’t McLellan who signed Lucic to a seven-year, $42-million contract in 2016, nor was it him who put all his marbles behind goalie Cam Talbot; it wasn’t McLellan who made the infamous Taylor Hall for Adam Larsson transaction or who moved star Jordan Eberle out of town, with just journeyman Ryan Spooner to show for it.
The footprints on those deals all belong to Chiarelli, the man responsible for sending McLellan overboard. It really should be the GM in Edmonton whom the knives came out for today, not McLellan, who’ll be back coaching an NHL team soon enough.
Even with his Hockey Hall of Fame-worthy history, it will most likely be Hitchcock who moves along from this Oilers job relatively soon. He’s earned his name by demanding work ethic from his players, but given the state Edmonton’s roster is in, Hitchcock’s demands of himself would have to include a good deal of miracle work.
Hitchcock doesn’t need to be put through the wringer for an extended period at this point in his life, and frankly, Oilers fans don’t need to be the wringer for what has been an interminable, unacceptable period. A couple years of trying to untangle this group of players from the mess they’re in now will be more than enough for him, and if he can’t, he’ll either self-extricate from this situation, or the new GM - the next time the Oilers find themselves in this mess, there should be a new GM - will fire him and end his NHL career in more common fashion.
Hitchcock is a hell of a conversationalist, but frankly, the conversation in Edmonton has become so sickeningly familiar, not even he can find a way to put a rhetorical bow tie on an abominable on-ice situation.
The 31-year-old was replaced to begin the third period after allowing one goal on 13 shots in the 2-1 defeat.
Bishop is off to a strong start this season with an 8-5-1 record, a 2.33 goals-against average, and a .923 save percentage. Luckily for the Stars, if Bishop misses any significant time, the team can rely on backup Anton Khudobin, who has been strong in relief this season. Khudobin is currently 3-3-1 with a 2.37 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage.
The Stars occupy the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
Here are five of the most intriguing trends, storylines, and surprises from the first quarter of the 2018-19 campaign:
Smaller goalie equipment making a difference
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
The NHL made a noticeable reduction in the size of goalie equipment this season - so much so that goaltenders around the league have voiced complaints about increased susceptibility to bruises and more serious injuries. Regardless, the smaller equipment has accomplished what the league clearly intended: more goals.
Teams have combined to score an average of 6.12 goals per game so far this season. Excluding the inflated post-lockout 2005-06 season, that mark would stand to be the highest the NHL has seen since it averaged 6.25 goals per game in 1995-96. The league's current average save percentage of .909 would also be the lowest since 2008-09's mark of .908.
There seems to be a drastic increase in short-side goals this season. Is the smaller equipment preventing goalies from effectively hugging the post? Is the reduced size punishing goalies who cheat towards the middle of the net in anticipation of centering passes? Or have shooters simply been more accurate when aiming for tight short-side windows?
4 coaches already fired, who's next?
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The Chicago Blackhawks' Joel Quenneville, Los Angeles Kings' John Stevens, St. Louis Blues' Mike Yeo, and Edmonton Oilers' Todd McLellan have all been fired in the first quarter of the campaign after no coaches were canned last year. The question is: how many more, if any, will be out of a job by the midway point of this season?
Randy Carlyle, whose Anaheim Ducks get outshot by an average of 10 shots per game, may be starting to feel the pressure. The Ducks are only a point out of a playoff spot but have just one regulation win in their last 15 games.
Philadelphia Flyers fans called for Dave Hakstol's job last year before the team turned a corner, and it wouldn't be surprising if the Flyers' faithful got their wish a year later. Hakstol is the fourth-longest tenured coach in the league but hasn't made it past the first round of the playoffs. Philly has been very streaky under Hakstol, due in no small part to the team's goaltending.
Defensemen scoring is way up
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Seven defensemen are on-pace for 70-plus points this season.
Defenseman
Current points
On-pace points
Morgan Rielly (TOR)
26
102
Thomas Chabot (OTT)
24
94
John Carlson (WSH)
21
86
Brent Burns (SJ)
22
86
Mark Giordano (CGY)
20
78
Keith Yandle (FLA)
17
77
Tyson Barrie (COL)
17
70
The last time seven or more defensemen reached the 70-point mark in the same campaign was 1993-94. There were 6.48 goals per game that season and the league save percentage was .895.
It's unlikely all these blue-liners reach their on-pace totals, but it's still quite remarkable considering no rearguard had 70 points a year ago.
Defensemen are seemingly faster and more skilled with the puck than ever before. They're also encouraged to join the rush and contribute offensively, which wasn't always the case.
The best example of this may be the Ottawa Senators, who lead the NHL in goals for but also allow the most. The Sens previously played a defensive trap system but head coach Guy Boucher has activated his defense this season and it's showing - for better or worse.
Stacked lines are back
Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Coaches around the league no longer seem afraid of stacking their top line. Some bench bosses appeared wary of this in past years, electing to put their best players on different lines to create a balanced lineup, but that doesn't look to be a concern anymore - at least not for most coaches.
The Boston Bruins and Colorado Avalanche have arguably the two best top lines in the NHL - when healthy - and they've kept them together despite suspect bottom-nine forward groups. But these two clubs were stacking their first lines before this season began; in a copycat league, other teams have taken notice.
It's difficult to quantify exactly how much offense line-stacking generates compared to a balanced attack; every team is different. But having the league's most dynamic stars playing together undoubtedly makes for great entertainment.
Parity at an all-time high
Gregg Forwerck / National Hockey League / Getty
One of the best aspects of tuning into an NHL game this season is the uncertainty - it seems any team can beat any other team on any given night. The salary cap is mostly responsible but it also feels like the league's bottom half is stronger than it's ever been.
The Metro Division is arguably the best example of this parity. The first-place Blue Jackets and last-place Pittsburgh Penguins are separated by just eight points and the latter has played two fewer games. In two weeks the standings could be completely flipped - and would anyone be that stunned?
The only team in the league that seems truly hard-pressed for a turnaround is the 7-12-1 Kings, who are down to their fourth-string goalie. Every other club is seemingly still in the mix for the postseason.
Connor McDavid doesn't believe former Edmonton Oilers head coach Todd McLellan was the sole reason for the team's poor play to begin this season.
The Oilers fired McLellan on Tuesday after losing six of their last seven games and replaced him with veteran bench boss Ken Hitchcock. But McDavid says the entire team is responsible for those results, not just McLellan.
"We're all to blame here," McDavid told reporters. "This obviously isn't on Todd at all, it's on us as players and that's just how the business works sometimes. We got to wake up here."
McDavid did admit, however, it was a change that needed to be made.
"Todd was a guy that everyone liked," he said. "Ultimately, we're a team that's underachieving right now and no one likes where we're at, so the change is necessary."
Hitchcock, an Edmonton native, joins the club as the third-winningest coach in NHL history, and McDavid is excited to have him aboard.
"Obviously he's got a tremendous record, both in the NHL and in international play," McDavid said. "He's a guy that's got lots of experience and we're looking forward to it."
The Oilers enter Tuesday night sitting five points out of the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference, but just three back of the Vancouver Canucks for third place in the Pacific Division.
