1 Dream and 4 Nightmare Landing Spots for Penguins Captain Sidney Crosby
To paraphrase Billy Joel, I didn't start this fire.
I believe it was the fellas of the highly entertaining Empty Netters podcast who first posed the question a few weeks ago: Should Sidney Crosby leave Pittsburgh?
OK, they said, "Crosby must leave Pittsburgh," but I like those guys and they've got a YouTube account to run.
In any event, it got people talking, and the talk has only made more sense every day since. Could we really see Sid in colors other than black and yellow?
Well, fine reader. That's the exercise we're conducting today.
What Are the Options for Kyle Dubas and the Penguins?
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The Penguins are in danger of going through a nightmare similar to last year's, in which they missed the playoffs due to one loss.
They needed to come out of this All-Star break with a convincing win streak to have a chance at controlling their destiny. Instead, they're 3-6-2 in their last 11 games and have an injured Jake Guentzel, who The Athletic's Josh Yohe believes there's a strong chance will be traded at the deadline.
Yohe also writes that general manager Kyle Dubas stated he wants Crosby around for the duration of his career, and that he's "not interested in asking Evgeni Malkin or Kris Letang to disregard their respective no-movement clauses."
I, too, am not particularly interested in asking Malkin or Letang to do anything they don't want to do, but I am not in charge of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Surely, there's more to all of this than what is happening on the surface, especially with a 17-year-strong core. Crosby, Letang and Malkin all have a significant amount of say in their futures, and in the future of the Penguins.
But I'm just not sure what to do with all of the information. My first reaction was that a genie granted Crosby three wishes, and Sid said, "Make me, Letang and Malkin lifelong Penguins." The genie said, "No problem," and did the evil genie thing where the circumstances in which the wishes happened are allowed to change.
Dubas' press conference annoyed me for the sake of Crosby, and for the sake of hockey fans who want to watch Crosby in the playoffs. I simply don't understand how you reward Crosby, Letang and Malkin for their loyalty by trading Guentzel. The Penguins have been blowing it and cannot score, but they're still only a few points out of the East's wild-card spot.
In any event, the press conference had me agreeing with the Empty Netters' take that felt almost trolly to me just three weeks ago. While the Penguins do not intend to trade Crosby, I am starting to feel like they must.
As foreign as it feels and as unlikely as it is, here are some places Crosby and his modest $8.7 million cap hit could go—whether that's at this deadline or ahead of next season.
Toronto Maple Leafs
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There's really only one place I'd like to see Crosby go, and this isn't it. It wouldn't even make sense, but it's Toronto, so we need to hypothesize.
What if the Maple Leafs added yet another scoring forward? That would leave them with about 4,000 star centers, zero dollars, zero defense, zero vibes. This would be extremely awkward with both John Tavares and Auston Matthews already unfairly criticized and pitted against each other.
In fact, a Maple Leafs player once told me he feels their biggest issue is the competition in the locker room that isn't anyone's fault but comes from the market and so many players, often league stars, stocked at one position amid depletion at other positions.
Another star isn't going to save the Toronto Maple Leafs, it's only going to distract from the actual general incompetence. Let's rise above.
Edmonton Oilers
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Another Canadian team with a slew of the league's best centers, fighting to make its Stanley Cup window count. You don't need Crosby; you actually don't even need much of anything right now. You just need to keep doing your thing, growing confidence in your goaltending and defense, and perhaps a few minor tweaks that don't mess with offensive chemistry. We know this by now!
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Chicago Blackhawks
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The idea of this makes me mad, and it also makes me understand why Crosby would want to stay with the Penguins even if they trade Guentzel.
Crosby to the Chicago Blackhawks would be an easy fit for the team with half a roster and actual cap space to spend in this economy. Chicago also has enough to give in terms of prospects and picks, which is what a Penguins team seeking youth would be looking for.
It would be an abject league failure if the only way Crosby gets traded is because of cap space, when his cap hit is famously modest in proportion to who he is. If Crosby is getting traded, it should be to a playoff team so he can ride out his career on his terms and on the terms hockey fans want to see. This would be unforgivable.
New York Rangers
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I've loved the New York Rangers' big swings the past few years, but I've loved them the most because they've seemed to address short-term, immediate needs like power-play scoring with short-term contracts like those of Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko, or bulking up with extremely inexpensive supporting players who have something to prove and who have made an impact—your Jimmy Veseys and the whole defensive depth situation.
Where the Rangers stand, they don't need the power-play scoring they effectively sought last season. They have a forward group that is familiar with one another and meshes extremely well, especially because there's an understanding that everyone needs to be producing.
A figure like Crosby would add some adjustments to that understanding that I'm not sure the Rangers need.
Colorado Avalanche
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Yes <3.
Kyle Dubas, if you or your grandmother is reading this, this is the way. The way I see it, your options are: Keep Guentzel and go on a playoff run; trade Guentzel and keep the rest of the band together but with worse vibes; or trade Guentzel and Crosby, but let Crosby cook with his Nova Scotian bestie, Nathan MacKinnon.
By all accounts, Crosby doesn't seem like he is anywhere near requesting a trade from the Penguins, and I don't want to speak for him. I'm also sure the Penguins consider his input when it comes to his own future and the future of the team. But think about us, think about the lore and think about the ratings.
It's Crosby to the Avs or Crosby to nowhere, for me.
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.png?w=600 "Ranking KD Trade Ideas, Landing Spots 📍")
