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It's rare to see professional athletes remain with one team their entire career. Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby is on track to retire as a Penguin when things are all set and done, though. At the same time, a Crosby trade has never felt more possible than it does right now. Pittsburgh has an aging core and does not appear to be contending for a Stanley Cup anytime soon.
This has sparked a ton of trade speculation. To be clear, this speculation has not come from Crosby or Pittsburgh. Fans and the media alike have speculated about the possibility for the last few seasons. In particular, a trade sending Crosby from the Penguins to the Colorado Avalanche is a favorite scenario for those entertaining the idea.
The Penguins do not appear willing to move their long-term star, though. And Crosby himself is not focusing on any of this noise. He recently addressed the matter in an interview with DK Pittsburgh Sports reporter Taylor Hasse.
“I know how speculation works: Everybody's looking to talk about different things, different scenarios,” Crosby told Hasse. “I can't control that. I don't know where that comes from. I don't think that it's something I'm going to discuss every time someone speculates something. I'm not going to answer it every time that happens.”
Penguins' Sidney Crosby connects losses with trade buzz
Sidney Crosby is aware of his team's position. The Penguins have not made the Stanley Cup Playoffs in two seasons. At this time, they are on the outside looking in on the Eastern Conference Wild Card race, as well. Pittsburgh clearly isn't the juggernaut they were in the early to mid-2010s. Their best days are certainly behind them.
As a result, expectations for what the team will do change. Many expect the Penguins to trade veteran players — especially pending free agents — to gather draft capital or younger players. Trading Crosby would, ideally, bring back a significant return. The future Hall of Famer believes there is a bit more to this than the losses, though.
“It's more than just the losses,” he told Hasse. “It's all the stuff that comes with it. It's the trickle-down effect that comes with that. That's the way it is. But understanding that, I know that all my energy and all my focus is toward helping us and doing the best we can, and I can't control any of that other stuff.”
Crosby is still playing at a very high level. In fact, he scored the Penguins' game-winning goal on Wednesday night against the Utah Hockey Club. It's clutch performances like this that make it hard for Pittsburgh to part with the future Hall of Famer, no matter the potential trade return.
