The Pittsburgh Penguins are going to have a major decision to make in the very near future regarding team captain Sidney Crosby, who is now 38 years old and officially no longer considered a “Kid” as he was in his early playing days.
The Penguins are a mashup of poorly constructed pieces right now under general manager Kyle Dubas, and by most projections, could potentially even be a lottery team in the upcoming 2025-26 NHL season.
Crosby is signed through the 2026-27 NHL season and has shown every willingness to stick it out with the Penguins despite any realistic chance of competing for the Stanley Cup being long behind them.
What exactly does the future hold for Crosby in Pittsburgh?
Why Does NHL Insider John Shannon Believe Sidney Crosby Will Not Be Traded From The Penguins?
Crosby’s name may have popped up in recent trade rumors, but there is one NHL insider who believes that it’s all for naught and that Crosby will remain where he is for the rest of his career.
John Shannon, a panelist on Rogers Sportsnet’s Hockey Central, said recently that he doesn’t foresee Crosby wearing the colors of another NHL team.
“I don’t ever see Sidney Crosby leaving Pittsburgh, ever,” Shannon said. “I just don’t. In many ways, he has modeled himself after the person he has roomed with the first couple of years he was in Pittsburgh. That was Mario Lemieux at Mario’s house. Mario never played for any other team. Mario is still a legend in Pittsburgh. I think Sidney understands the value of what the Penguins are and what he is to the city of Pittsburgh.”
Shannon’s comparison to Lemieux carries significant weight. Like Lemieux, Crosby has become synonymous with Pittsburgh hockey, building a legacy that extends far beyond statistics and championships.
It was just over 20 calendar years ago that the Penguins selected Crosby with the first overall pick in the highly anticipated 2005 NHL Draft, which was commonly referred to as the “Crosby Sweepstakes”.
Crosby took the League by storm, immediately demonstrating that he was well worth the hype. Not only is he arguably the best player in the Penguins’ team history, even ahead of the legendary Mario Lemieux, but he’s firmly in the conversation as perhaps one of the best players in NHL history.
During his tenure with the Penguins, he’s won numerous scoring and leadership accolades while also captaining the franchise to three separate Stanley Cup championships, including consecutive titles in 2016 and 2017.
Those championship runs established Crosby as the face of modern Pittsburgh hockey. Beyond the NHL success, Crosby has also represented Canada in international play, helping his nation to gold medal victories in the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics.
