Sidney Crosby will miss Monday's tilt in Minnesota due to the death of his grandmother.

Crosby will miss Monday's tilt in Minnesota due to the death of his grandmother.

Analysis:

Crosby practiced Monday and then left for the funeral in Nova Scotia. If he plays Thursday, then that will be his first and only preseason game. Crosby decided against summer wrist surgery and an undisclosed second injury -- possibly a shoulder ailment -- has kept him out of preseason action. There's an element of risk to owning Crosby in 2014-15 which hasn't been highlighted very much.