Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said there's no target date set for his return following offseason wrist surgery, according to NHL.com's Wes Crosby.

The Penguins star underwent the procedure Sept. 8 and was expected to be sidelined for a minimum of six weeks, meaning his earliest return date would have been Saturday's game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Crosby, however, was officially ruled out of that contest Thursday.

Pittsburgh general manager Ron Hextall said at the time of the surgery that the wrist injury wasn't a new issue for Crosby, and the center confirmed that fact on Friday.

The 34-year-old revealed his left wrist was initially injured by Ryan Reaves in a game shortly after the 2014 Winter Olympics. He'd been trying to manage the issue over the past seven years, including undergoing a scope last season, before opting to get surgery, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Mike DeFabo.

"We all felt like it was something that I wouldn't have gotten through the season if I didn't take care of it," Crosby said.

He added: "I'm hoping it improves it a lot. This last year - with the scope and just dealing with it - it became more of an issue. Hopefully, it can feel a lot better here and I can kind of put it behind me."

He practiced for the first time since the surgery Oct. 9 and participated again Friday but, before he can return to NHL action, he would like to shore up some aspects of his game.

"I haven't really had any force," he said, according to NHL.com's Crosby, "whether it be through faceoffs or lifting sticks. ... Those are things I haven't been able to do. When I can do that comfortably ... I think that will be a big step."

Penguins forward Kasperi Kapanen provided an encouraging report about the veteran after Friday's session.

"I mean, it's Sidney Crosby. He's always going to be the best player out there," he said.

The Penguins haven't lost a game outright in four contests without Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, going 2-0-2.

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