Penguins predicted to trade Sidney Crosby

2025-26 will likely be Evgeni Malkin’s final season with the Pittsburgh Penguins. But, what about his captain and nearly 20-year teammate, Sidney Crosby?

Greg Wyshynski of ESPN predicted that if the Penguins get off to a slow start, Crosby will be moved before the end of the season.

There have long been discussions about which direction general manager Kyle Dubas would take this Pittsburgh team. While it would likely benefit them to blow everything up and start from scratch, there are obstacles.

The main one being Crosby, Malkin, and Kris Letang are still around. As long as those core three don the Penguin jersey, it will be difficult to punt on a campaign and tell those guys they can not compete for Stanley Cups — at least in Pittsburgh — anymore.

However, the Penguins are on the decline, and after making the playoffs every year from 2007 to 2022, they have not reached that stage since. That includes just one trip past the first round since their last title in 2017.

Teams like the Montreal Canadiens and Colorado Avalanche could make sense for Crosby, or perhaps there is a wild card out there nobody knows about yet. It has always seemed like he wanted to finish out his career in Pittsburgh and remain a one-sweater guy, but things change, and he could do his team a favor by requesting a trade and letting them get something in return.

Crosby still has two years left on his contract at $8.7 million annually. He may be older, but he is still a highly effective player and could help a contender get over the hump. This is all contingent on how the Penguins come out of the gates in the fall.