Penguins insider expands on Sidney Crosby trade mindset

Pittsburgh Penguins insider Josh Yohe of The Athletic explained recently there's essentially no chance the club will trade superstar Sidney Crosby this offseason despite the state of its roster and the fact that Crosby turns 37 years old in August.  

On Monday, The Athletic's Rob Rossi shared that "Crosby has privately and publicly said on many occasions" he intends to finish his career with what's been his only team since he made his regular-season NHL debut in October 2005.

Reporters, analysts and fans have suggested throughout the first few months of 2024 that Crosby should look for a way out of Pittsburgh considering the team once responsible for the longest active playoff streak in North American professional sports seems likely to miss the postseason for a second consecutive spring. The three-time Stanley Cup champion has one season remaining on his contract, but Rossi expects the franchise icon could ink a three-year extension as soon as July. 

Signing such a deal would allow Crosby to continue playing alongside center Evgeni Malkin and defenseman Kris Letang through the ends of their deals. Crosby pushing for the Penguins to re-sign both stars a couple of summers ago obviously hasn't produced positive results for the club, but Rossi noted there's nobody better to help usher in a new era for the organization than the current team captain. 

"As a student of history, but also someone who is studious when it comes to the franchise he’s shepherded for almost two full decades, Crosby is wise enough to know the chance — even if slight — to shape the next great Penguins team is more interesting than chasing a fourth title somewhere else," Rossi mentioned. 

Any hope among fans that Pittsburgh could right the ship beginning in October 2024 probably evaporated when the Penguins became sellers ahead of the trade deadline. Even Rossi acknowledged that "most people think a quick fix is not happening" for a club that needs to get younger and faster over several offseasons. 

Nevertheless, there continues to be no sign that Crosby will do anything but commit the remainder of his playing days to the Penguins regardless of how many people try to link him with the Colorado Avalanche before the start of the 2024-25 campaign.