Going into the Olympics, Sidney Crosby was expected to rack up points for Team Canada and validate why he was named the captain of the national team. Both Crosby and Team Canada failed to produce at the level many expected them to. While he was dangerous every time he was out on the ice his stats were hardly impressive (one goal and two assists).

In the gold medal game Crosby finally broke through with a breakaway goal along with his much-maligned line and teammate Chris Kunitz.  Many people will now question if Sidney Crosby can bounce back and contend for the Art Ross and Hart trophies.

The answer is unequivocally “YES!” Crosby should easily bounce back from this slump and run away with the scoring title. Crosby struggled to click with the combination of stars that he was paired with throughout the tournament. Wearing his familiar black and gold, Crosby will relish the return to form with the players that he has gone to battle with every night for the previous five months. With Team Canada committed to a defense first playing style Crosby was forced to sacrifice stats for gold, a move he gladly accepted.

With the NHL trade deadline approaching next week the Penguins can get some help for his right wing via trade. Crosby could finally have the Pascal Dupuis replacement he has been sorely missing over the past few months. Imagine if the Penguins could get somebody like Ryan Kesler, Matt Moulson, or Thomas Vanek to go on Crosby’s line. Though there would be an adjustment period, the Penguin’s captain could really see his stats take off.

If you needed another reason to believe Sidney Crosby can snap out of his Olympic slumber, look no further than his effort after the 2010 Olympics. He had 31 points in the final 20 games of the season and blew everyone away winning the Rocket Richard Trophy for most goals in the NHL. Though the Pens failed to repeat their Stanley Cup from 2009, it certainly wasn’t because their captain wasn’t pulling his weight.

Pittsburgh is also going to need him big time for the playoff push and locking up the number one seed throughout the whole playoffs. With the gap between the Pens and Boston at only five points, every game means a lot and Pittsburgh will be leaning heavily on their stars. With adversity early in his career with injuries, Sidney Crosby has proved many people wrong before.  Don’t be surprised if a second gold medal provides Sidney Crosby with a spark to finish the season strong.