The Pittsburgh Penguins face uncertain hours around their captain Sidney Crosby. It seems unlikely he won’t be in town when the NHL season kickstarts in October, but the possibility of him marching through the door later remains present. It’s far from a certainty, but it’s a looming danger in the horizon for fans in Steel City. The suspense only heightened after news emerge indicating Crosby had a big say in one divisional opponent’s latest hiring.
It’s the NHL offseason. Everything should be taken with a grain of salt. Reports and rumors emerge every minute, but when it involves a household name like Crosby, it sets off alarm bells.
Fans in Pittsburgh are worried. The organization has seemingly accepted its fate for the 2025–26 NHL season, and it could push Crosby closer to the exit door. This time, the threat of a potential divorce between the player and the franchise is louder than ever. It isn’t the first time Crosby has been linked to other teams and caught in the rumor mill. Yet now, it looks like the Pens might be sending the wrong signals to their captain.
Crosby is not paying any attention to the tittle-tattle, however. Instead, the 37-year-old veteran is focused on his off-season training. Still, his latest endorsement of former Penguins’ assistant equipment manager, Paul DeFazio, for his new job in the Metro Division made waves around the NHL.
The Columbus Blue Jackets have now hired DeFazio as head equipment manager, and Crosby’s ‘letter of recommendation’ was a big reason for the hiring in Ohio.
New beginning
“You’ve heard all of the talk through the years that [DeFazio] was Sid’s guy, that he did everything for Sid, and that he kind of took Sid under his wing when he got to Pittsburgh,” Columbus director of hockey operations Rick Nash told The Athletic.
“So when Sid called, I said, ‘What are you gonna do now if we take him?’ Crosby said he’d figure things out, but he’d be more than happy for this guy to get his shot as the head guy. That’s a pretty good endorsement, I guess, right?”
Moving on?
An equipment manager is a pivotal piece to any staff in the NHL. Though extremely rare, they can sometimes help the team score. Crosby should know that better than anybody. On April 15, 2021 the Penguins’ skipper found the back of the net immediately after Jon Taglianetti handed him a new stick from the bench.
Though it wasn’t DeFazio, Crosby and the Penguins know how important these members of the organization’s staff are. Letting go of DeFazio could signal that Crosby is accepting the winds of change blowing through the City of Bridges.
SURVEY Which of the following teams would you least like to see Crosby join next?
Which of the following teams would you least like to see Crosby join next?
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The most pessimistic might see Crosby’s endorsement of DeFazio as the first domino to fall. It could eventually lead to him leaving the team that drafted him first overall in 2005—and where he’s spent his entire NHL career so far. Whether that proves true or far-fetched, it’s still very early to determine what Crosby’s decision says about his future.