Sidney Crosby trade rumours reach a whole new level in game vs. Colorado

We all know that Pittsburgh Penguins captain and superstar Sidney Crosby has been the subject of frequent trade rumors, especially now that we’re only days away from the deadline. While many pundits and insiders cannot see a goodbye could be on the horizon for Crosby and his beloved Penguins, others are starting to wonder if the 37-year-old forward will want another shot at a Stanley Cup, which is very unlikely to happen in Pittsburgh, where a retooling is underway.

On Tuesday, Pittsburgh was in Colorado to take on the Avalanche, and ahead of the game, fans were encouraged to chant We want Crosby to send him a message that he should accept a trade to Denver in order to play with buddy and fellow Nova Scotian Nathan MacKinnon.

Before the game, reporters even asked Crosby about the rumour buzz and the chance to play and win with MacKinnon, as the two star forwards did a few weeks ago for Team Canada at the 4 nations Tournament, to which Crosby replied very diplomatically:

“I’m sure there’s a lot of hypotheticals out there,” he said.

A Penguins’ representative even jumped in to add: “You’ll see them together again at the Olympics!”

The whole chatter led Sports Illustrated’s Karl Rasmussen to debate on why moving Crosby to Colorado makes sense and how the Penguins should recognize Crosby is better off with a true contender for another championship than a rebuild in Pittsburgh.

“Sidney Crosby has long stated his desire to remain with the Penguins, but with the team clearly heading towards a rebuild, keeping the 37-year-old in town has become increasingly difficult to justify. Pittsburgh owns the NHL’s second worst goal differential, only ahead of the San Jose Sharks, and could allow Crosby to join a contender in order to get the legendary center one last shot at another Stanley Cup. Among the fits that make sense, the Colorado Avalanche have long been rumored as a potential landing spot for the future Hall of Famer,” Rasmussen wrote.

And so, from the start of the game last night to the end, fans were talking and tweeting about a trade, hoping that once the final buzzer went off, Crosby would realize he needs to be moved to the Avs and join forces with MacKinnon. The Avalanche came out on top in a 4-1 win over the Penguins. Crosby collected an assist on the lone goal.

Others, more realistic fans, maintain that Crosby will stay put in Pittsburgh for the rest of his career, especially now that he still has about $17 million over the next two seasons.

I want to tell Crosby, who’s probably had it with all the rumours, that there are only a few days left to go before the deadline. Hang on, until it all starts again as the Penguins keep on rebuilding.