Jets' F Scheifele placed on alert for 4 Nations Face-Off
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Winnipeg Jets forward Mark Scheifele has been placed on alert by Canada in the event of another injury or Sidney Crosby not being ready for the Four Nations Faceoff, according to TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger.
Scheifele, 31, has 31 goals and 63 points in 56 games this season at the Jets sit atop the NHL standings with 81 points and a 39-14-3 record.
Crosby's status remains up in the air after sustaining an upper-body injury on Tuesday against the New Jersey Devils. He did not play in Friday's game against the New York Rangers but did skate at practice that morning.
He has 17 goals and 41 assists over 55 games with the Penguins in 2024-25, his 20th season with the team. Pittsburgh sits second last in the Metropolitan Division and seem like longshots to make the playoffs.
TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston discussed Crosby's 4 Nations status during Thursday's edition of Insider Trading.
"What do you want to start with? The good news or the bad news? It's almost the weekend, so we'll go good news. He was on the ice in Pittsburgh on this day. Was able to be skating on his own, did a couple drills with the team, but that is obviously an encouraging sign after he missed practice Wednesday. The bad news here, I would suggest, is just how secretive everyone around the situation is being," explained Johnston.
"It's almost like they're guarding the nuclear codes when asked about Crosby's potential availability. And you can contrast that with other players like say, Mitch Marner, who missed the game for the Maple Leafs this week, everyone in that case was quick to say, 'don't worry, he's going to play.' So this is still somewhat up in the air. I think there's a whiff of optimism behind the scenes, but until we hear anything definitively, this is a serious situation for Canada."
Tampa Bay Lightning forward Anthony Cirelli missed Thursday's game against the Ottawa Senators due to an upper-body injury. Head coach Jon Cooper, who will also coach Canada at the 4 Nations, said he was listed as day-to-day.
Canada kicks off the tournament on Feb. 12 against Sweden in Montreal, while the United States battle Finland the following night, also from Bell Centre.
The two hockey rivals will square off on Feb. 15 in Montreal before the tournament shifts to Boston's TD Garden for the final two round-robin contests and the championship game on Feb. 20