Sidney Crosby skated between Jake Guentzel and Evan Rodrigues on the No. 1 line during the Penguins' practice at PPG Paints Arena Wednesday.
He worked on the top power-play unit.
He was what Mike Sullivan described as a "full-capacity" participant in the workout, which included several drills involving contact.
Fact is, Crosby, who is recovering from offseason surgery to his left wrist, looked very much like a guy who could be in the lineup when the Penguins face the Flames Thursday at 7:08 p.m. at PPG Paints Arena.
And while Sullivan stopped well short of saying that Crosby will play against Calgary, he clearly is pleased by what he's seen since Crosby resumed practicing with his teammates.
"His status right now is day-to-day," Sullivan said. "Obviously, (reporters) watch him progress in practice. ... We'll see how he responds. We'll listen to the medical staff and make decisions accordingly. But we're real encouraged with his progress. We think he's getting real close."
He added that, "it's exciting for us. When we can plug Sid into his normal spot. I think it changes the outlook of our team."
Sullivan said he is unaware of any medical hurdles that Crosby would have to clear before he begins playing.
Rookie winger Kasper Bjorkqvist, recalled from the Penguins' farm team in Wilkes-Barre Monday, spent part of an optional game-day skate the following morning jostling with Crosby, helping him to get acclimated to contact.
"That guy is hard to move, that's for sure," Bjorkqvist said.
While Crosby's co-workers might not enjoy putting a shoulder into him, they clearly like being able to lay eyes on him again during practice, Sullivan said.
"You can see the reaction (to his presence), even with our own players," he said. "We just have more of a jump in our step. He has that influence. I think our team gets excited when he's participating the way he is now."
Casey DeSmith, laughing, said that Crosby "certainly hasn't gotten any worse" during his layoff, while Chad Ruhwedel echoed Sullivan's assessment of the positive impact Crosby has on his teammates when he's working out with them.
"It's always nice to have Sid back on the ice at practice," Ruhwedel said. "He's a lot of fun to be around. He makes guys around him better."
And sometime soon, he'll be doing that in games.
MORE FROM THE PRACTICE
• Sullivan, on the improvement in Marcus Pettersson's play over last season: "Marcus has played really well for us in this early part of the season. I think he's getting back to the things that have brought him success since he's been a Penguin. I think it starts with just playing to his strengths. For a guy who's as tall as he is, as big as he is, he's a mobile guy. He skates pretty well. His gaps are very good when he's at his best. ... When a defenseman's confidence is high, their gaps and their ability to play in people's face and defending the rush with tight gaps, there's a direct correlation. We see that in Marcus' game right now."
• Although Sullivan hasn't named his goalie for Thursday, DeSmith could be in line for his second start of the season. "It's been a very spread-out schedule here in October," DeSmith said. "For me, (there have been) a couple more games on the bench than I would like, obviously." DeSmith's only work so far in 2021-21 came in what he characterized as a "high-event" game at Florida Oct. 14, a 5-4 Panthers victory in overtime.
• Sullivan, who will coach the U.S. at the 2022 Olympics, said it was an "unfortunate circumstance" that led Stan Bowman to resign as GM of the Olympic squad, as well as the Blackhawks, after a sexual-abuse scandal in Chicago. Sullivan added that, "it's hard for me to comment on it because I know very little about it, quite honestly."
• Evgeni Malkin (knee) and Bryan Rust (lower-body) had an on-ice workout before the team practice, but they were not involved in the practice. Neither were Jeff Carter or Kris Letang, both of whom are in the COVID-19 protocol.
• Sullivan said that when Ruhwedel "is at his very best, you don't notice him. He's just very positionally sound. He makes simple plays. He defends well. There's not one aspect of Chad's game that jumps out at you with any sort of a 'Wow' factor. ... He knows what his role is, and he plays it extremely well for us."
• Personnel combinations:
Jake Guentzel-Sidney Crosby-Evan Rodrigues
Jason Zucker-Drew O'Connor-Kasperi Kapanen
Zach Aston-Reese-Teddy Blueger-Brock McGinn
Dominik Simon-Brian Boyle-Sam Lafferty, with Danton Heinen working on both wings
Brian Dumoulin-John Marino
Mike Matheson-Chad Ruhwedel
Marcus Pettersson-Mark Friedman, with Jusso Riikola rotating in
