Analyst shares interesting trade scenario involving Sidney Crosby

Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby has remained steadfast regarding his desire to feature only for the Pittsburgh Penguins during his NHL career. Is there a scenario in which he would rethink his remaining time in the NHL?

For an article published on Tuesday, Travis Yost of TSN suggested Crosby could wait to see how the rebuilding Penguins start the 2024-25 season before he makes any decisions about his short-term and long-term futures.

"Imagine for a moment that the Penguins struggle early," Yost explained. "It is precisely Crosby’s loyalty to the franchise that would suggest a trade could be fruitful: the returns even for a rental of Crosby would be extraordinary, and under the same assumption that Crosby’s loyalty is unwavering, he would return bac k to Pittsburgh (with possibly more help rostered as soon as 2025-26) on his retirement deal. Rebuilds can take years; a move of this magnitude could accelerate that timeline."

Crosby is on track to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 o f next year. While it seemed a guarantee as recently as August that he and the Penguins would confirm an extension by the start of the preseason, Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now noted on Tuesday that "people don’t keep good news quiet" and that the Crosby situation has become downright "weird."

As of Tuesday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Penguins at +120 betting odds to qualify for the postseason tournament next spring. Yost thinks Crosby could consider using his full no-movement clause to choose a temporary home by the March trade deadline if it seems that Pittsburgh will miss the playoffs for a third consecutive season.

"Pittsburgh is not in cap distress," Yost added, "...The space they maintain increases the likelihood of a deal — they can retain some of Crosby’s salary to juice the return on a trade, typical of what you see in deadline moves."

Specifically, it's believed Pittsburgh could fetch multiple first-round draft picks, a "top prospect" and "a young NHL player" in return for Crosby if he agreed to serve as a rental for a club willing to let him pursue a fourth career Stanley Cup ring.

Of course, Crosby a nd/or the Penguins could silence such talk at any point via the announcement of an extension. Fair or not, fans assume Crosby's camp is saying plenty by saying nothing publicly regarding his future.