Rumors swirl around Sidney Crosby following blockbuster trade.

On Friday night the Colorado Avalanche did what many believed to be the unthinkable when they traded away franchise winger Mikko Rantanen, sending the star forward to the Carolina Hurricanes in what can only be described as a truly blockbuster type of trade deal.

We will no doubt be discussing the fallout of that trade for months to come but surprisingly one of the biggest storylines coming out of this deal is the prospect of an entirely unrelated trade. With the deal the Colorado Avalanche have freed up a significant amount of salary cap space and there is now rampant speculation that the Avalanche may be attempting to unite long time friends Nathan MacKinnon and Sidney Crosby on the ice.

Crosby is of course a lifelong member of the Pittsburgh Penguins and it would be truly shocking to see him traded from that franchise to another team, but the noise around this possibility has become so loud that National Hockey League insider Elliotte Friedman included a note about it in his recent column regarding the aforementioned blockbuster trade deal.

From Friedman:

I know there’s a lot of fan/media hope for Sidney Crosby in Colorado this season, but I’d be shocked. I’ve been shocked before, but that would really do it.

That definitely makes it sound like Friedman is leaning towards a deal not happening, something that would mirror the sentiments of NHL insider Chris Johnston who also responded to the huge rumor surrounding the Penguins captain.

From Johnston:

Unless something changes -- and at this point I have absolutely ZERO reason to believe it will -- Sidney Crosby isn't being traded out of Pittsburgh. He's an untouchable as far as the [Penguins] are concerned, plus he's got a no-movement clause and no desire to be dealt.

While fans in Colorado are likely salivating at the thought of having both Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon on the same team, it sounds like this one coming to fruition would be quite the long shot based on the comments from two of the NHL's top insiders.