While the NHL is on hold due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Tribune-Review will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 55 individuals under NHL contract with the organization, from mid-level prospect Niclas Almari to high-profile trade acquisition Jason Zucker.

Player: Sidney Crosby

Position: Center

Shoots: Left

Age: 32

Height: 5-foot-11

Weight: 200 pounds

2019-20 NHL statistics: 41 games, 47 points (16 goals, 31 assists)

Contract: Seventh year of a 12-year contract with a salary cap hit of $8.7 million. Pending unrestricted free agent in 2025

Acquired: First-round draft pick (No. 1 overall), July 30, 2005

This season: You’ll be hard pressed to find a bigger booster of Sidney Crosby than his boss, Mike Sullivan.

The Penguins coach often refers to his team’s captain as the “best 200-foot player in the game” anytime the subject of Crosby’s abilities are brought up. And there’s little reason to suspect Sullivan’s assessment is swayed by bias.

Even as he approaches his mid-30s and younger contemporaries such as Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov or Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid collect individual trophies, Crosby remains their superior when it comes to high-stakes environments, to borrow another Sullivan expression.

At this stage of his career, the biggest question about Crosby is how he can hold up over 82 games as an “old man.” After all, he missed 28 games this season because of a core muscle injury that hindered him for an even longer stretch before he underwent surgery in November.

Once he did return to the lineup, Crosby showed he’s still more than capable of doing some serious damage to an opposing goaltender’s save percentage (and probably confidence) by racking up 30 points (11 goals, 19 assists) over the last 24 games he played before the NHL halted play.

Early in the season, Crosby displayed his chemistry with linemate Jake Guentzel was still intact. But by the time Crosby recovered from his injury, Guentzel was sidelined with his own long-term injury, and that prompted management to trade for forward Jason Zucker from the Minnesota Wild, then reacquire forward Conor Sheary from the Buffalo Sabres.

While the Penguins struggled before the hiatus with a 3-8-0 record, there were signs the Zucker-Crosby-Sheary line was starting to look like a legit top line.

Defensively, Crosby, who remains the team’s top faceoff specialist at 55.6% (494 for 888), isn’t asked to match up with the opposition’s top center as often as in years past, thanks in part to the emergence of forward Teddy Blueger. However, Crosby’s attention to detail in his end of the ice has shown few signs of eroding.

The future: Seemingly, the only remaining question about Crosby this season, assuming it resumes, is who his left winger will be. Guentzel or Zucker? Based on the initial time frame the Penguins offered in January for Guentzel’s recovery from his right shoulder ailment, he could be healthy enough to play right now.

Ultimately, there isn’t a wrong answer. And while there are lingering concerns over the team’s sputtering power play, Crosby’s ability to make his linemates better, even those fully capable of producing on their own, remains intact.

Crosby continues to be the standard every other NHL player is measured against.

Follow the Penguins all season long.

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