Sidney Crosby To The Rangers Once And For All Resolved

Could Sidney Crosby eventually be a Ranger? A couple of months ago The Maven thought this was possible.

One of those very high up individuals within Madison Square Garden suggested to me that Crosby could do what both Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier once did – leave their Edmonton tent ground and emigrate to Manhattan.

I've spent a few months checking this out and now have the answer. My indisputable Pittsburgh insider Vince Comunale puts it this way:

"Crosby has no intention of leaving Pittsburgh. Like Mario Lemieux, he wants his name associated with just one team, the Penguins. He's already the all-time leader in games played and is only 127 points behind Mario for the franchise lead in points.

"Plus, Sidney needs just 29 assists to surpass Lemieux for the franchise's all-time lead in that department."

Since Crosby is in the final season of a 12-year deal, my MSG informant tells me that the Rangers would love to do with him what they did with Gretzky and Messier. But Communale tells me NIX, NIX, NIX to that.

Communale: "It's likely that Sidney – he turns 37 next month – will sign a new Penguins' deal that will take him through his 40th birthday.

"While the Penguins now are mired in mediocrity, Crosby is hoping that he can stick around long enough to be part of the club's next resurgence."

I commend Crosby's loyalty to his franchise. But he could easily get disgusted with Kyle Dubas' failure as a general manager and – some time in the future – might change his mind.

As was the case with The Great One and Mess – NEVER SAY NEVER!