Sidney Crosby could be traded and Montreal would be the destination

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Carl Vaillancourt
September 3, 2024 (7:53 PM)

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TSN hockey analyst Travis Yost made a statement that is sure to get Canadiens fans talking, as it involves Sidney Crosby and general manager Kent Hughes.

First, let's put everything in context. Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is about to begin the final year of his contract, earning a respectable salary of $8.7 million per year. On July 1, 2025, he could become a free agent, and it's safe to say that Pittsburgh probably doesn't want to lose him without getting something in return, especially considering he produced 94 points in the 2023-2024 season.

This is the same salary as Patrik Laine, but let's just say the performance hasn't been the same in recent years. The risk is much lower for Kent Hughes or his counterparts.

According to players around the league, Crosby is still seen as the most complete player in the NHL. The first overall pick in 2005, Crosby recorded 42 goals and 52 assists in 2023-2024. That's not bad for a 37-year-old.

Could Sidney Crosby leave Pittsburgh? A TSN analyst sees him as a possible acquisition for Kent Hughes

This question is really starting to be raised by journalists covering the Penguins. Many of them are wondering if Crosby might leave Pittsburgh and join a team that could contend for major honors within the next two or three seasons. The Canadiens are one such team.

«Travis Yost (TSN) had some fun creating scenarios that would send Crosby elsewhere. And among the teams he named in his article is the Canadiens... Because in Yost's eyes, no other team would benefit more from having Sidney Crosby than the Canadiens, even if he arrived as a rental player.»

-Marc-Olivier Cook, DansLesCoulisses

According to Yost, the Montreal Canadiens would benefit the most from adding a player like Sidney Crosby, more than any of the other 31 NHL teams.

It's hard to imagine a general manager being tempted to trade the face of the franchise over the past two decades to begin a rebuilding phase. At the same time, most organizations go through this normal process.

Travis Yost even added another layer.

He believes that adding a leader like Sidney Crosby could help Martin St-Louis' squad earn up to five additional wins in the NHL standings, while also serving as the best possible role model to guide the Canadiens' young players in their development and in learning how to become champions.

Such an important transaction could offer Montreal an opportunity to make the playoffs and potentially pull off a surprise. While the defense is expected to be young and less experienced than the average team contending for major honors, the offense would be much more balanced and dangerous than in the last 40 years of the Canadiens' history. You'd probably have to go back to the days of Guy Lafleur.

All jokes aside, the analysis is interesting. However, the chances of seeing an ambassador like Sidney Crosby leave the Pittsburgh Penguins at 37 years old to finish his career elsewhere for two or three years would be surprising!

Source: DansLesCoulisses
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