Sidney Crosby as a rental player: “No NHL club would benefit more than the Habs”

Sidney Crosby is entering the final year of his current contract, which pays him $8.7 million per season.

He’ll be as free as a bird next summer, and even though he’s just celebrated his 37th birthday, the Penguins captain is still one of the National League’s elite.

He finished last season with 94 points (42 goals) in 82 games…

That said, Pittsburgh is currently wondering if the possibility of him leaving to join a team with a chance of winning is real.

The Penguins may have acquired Rutger McGroarty in the last few days, but he’s not the one who’s going to help the club lift the Stanley Cup. Add to that the fact that the Penguins’ bank of prospects is thin…

So Travis Yost (TSN) had some fun creating scenarios that would send Crosby elsewhere. And among the teams he named in his article is the Habs… Because in Yost’s eyes, no other team would benefit more from a Sidney Crosby than the Habs, even if he were to arrive as a rental player :

The probability of Sidney Crosby being moved isn’t high, but @travisyost examines how the circumstances around both the player and the team could give rise to it being a possibility: https://t.co/UA4TyjClDM

– TSN Hockey (@TSNHockey) September 3, 2024

Travis Yost explains his point by saying that the Habs’ line is weak.

For the TSN analyst, the arrival of an impact player like Sidney Crosby at center would help the Habs pick up five more wins in the NHL standings, and there’s also all the leadership he can bring to a hockey locker room.

That’s a good point. Especially when you consider that the Habs have a young roster.

But “Crosby” and “rental player” in the same sentence sounds weird. Then again, if he does leave, it’ll be to join a team that’s ready to win right now, and the Habs aren’t there yet in their rebuild.

It’s coming sooner rather than later, but there are still steps to be taken before the rebuild is officially complete.

In closing, let’s remember that Sidney Crosby loves Pittsburgh and that the chances of the Penguins trading him (or releasing him next summer) are slim.

There’s no such thing as a surprise in the National League, but hey.

Let’s just say I wouldn’t bet my house on seeing him finish his career anywhere but Pittsburgh…

Overtime

– Great idea!

We invite fans to a candlelight vigil in remembrance of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau on Wednesday, September 4 at 7:30 p.m.

The vigil will be held on the Front Street Plaza outside the east entrance to Nationwide Arena.

https://t.co/iTG57CaKms pic.twitter.com/1sCfX1KYge

– Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) September 3, 2024