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Pittsburgh Penguins all-star defenceman Sergei Gonchar didn’t travel with the team to Sweden as his fate for the 2008-2009 remains in jeopardy.

Sources told Sportsnet that Gonchar is scheduled for one more key evaluation on Monday with doctors before deciding what the best course of action is to repair his dislocated left shoulder.

As a worst-case scenario, Gonchar could face major reconstruction surgery in which the entire shoulder gets cleaned up. That would sideline the Pen’s No. 1 defenceman for 6-8 months.

Another possible scenario is Gonchar could have arthroscopic surgery that would sideline him 2-3 months. Should he choose not to go under the knife and continue with rehab, he could return to the Penguins lineup in 6-8 weeks. A decision is expected early next week.

The veteran NHL defenceman sustained the injury during the first period of the Penguins’ pre-season opener on Sept. 20. Gonchar led the reigning Eastern Conference champions in ice time last season and was third on the team in scoring with 12 goals and 53 assists.

The Penguins are in Europe to open up the NHL regular season against the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 4.