Fantasy hockey owners looking for a black-and-white answer as to when Sidney Crosby could return to full-scale action were left with more grey instead following Crosby's press conference on Wednesday.
Though Sid the Kid reported that he was feeling better, and his doctor sounded confident that Crosby would eventually be 100% healthy and be able to perform without being weighed down by the effects of back-to-back concussions eight months ago, no one was willing or able to say exactly when Crosby could resume contact skating---or more importantly, when he might next be seen in the Penguins lineup.
That furthers the quandary fantasy hockey owners have been facing heading into their respective drafts in the coming weeks because now it's quite obvious that there is no timetable in place for Crosby's return. And since Crosby is only the best player---or at worst one of the two or three best players---in the NHL, you can see the dilemma facing fantasy hockey owners in the first round of their drafts.
Select Sid or pass on Sid. It's a major crapshoot either way.
I have broken down this issue in a previous article, so I won't repeat myself. But I will say that Wednesday's press conference served only to further cloudy the overall picture of Sid's return.
While Crosby did state that he has had "significant improvements" with how he is feeling of late, his doctor said that he had "no earthly idea" when the star center could return to action. And both sides agreed that Crosby is not yet ready to resume contact drills, though everyone was in agreement that he should be able to play at some point this season.
"At some point" should worry fantasy hockey owners who can ill afford to make a mistake with a first-round pick. The risk value is greater for those owners selecting past the first pair of picks in their draft.
While I'd feel OK choosing, say, Alex Ovechkin first overall or Steven Stamkos second overall even if Crosby ends up being able to play, say, 60-65 games this season, I'd be pretty squeamish passing on Sid the Kid should he start sliding down the first round. Then again I'd be down right ill should I choose him, say, fifth overall and he ends up being limited to 30-40 games.
My final fantasy hockey draft rankings which will be published soon are not yet complete. And like you, I need to decide how to value Sid while not knowing when he can play again.
And today's press conference provided no clear-cut help.
Get the dice out everyone. It's craps time.
Send your fantasy hockey questions and comments to jimcerny@gmail.com