It’s one of the hottest topics in an otherwise cold stretch of the NHL offseason. The most dramatic days are behind, and teams are now looking to make the finishing touches to their opening night rosters. On that note, an insider hints the league may have given away where Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby will start the upcoming season.
The Penguins are trending to be one of the NHL’s bottom-feeders during the 2025-26 season. With the organization seemingly accepting its role for the foreseeable future, there isn’t much to look forward for in the upcoming year.
Needless to say, Pittsburgh’s stock is trending downwards at reckless speed. Such a scenario feels like a nightmare for Crosby and company. Especially the players in the final stretch of their NHL careers. Thus, it’d make sense if the three-time Stanley Cup winning captain asked for a trade out. However, that seems unlikely.
On the one hand, longtime teammate Evgeni Malkin is set to play his final season in The Burgh, and Crosby wants to be there for him. Moreover, the Pens’ captain is entering the first campaign of his two-year contract extension, which includes a full no-movement clause (NMC). And if all the aforementioned signals weren’t enough, it might have been the NHL itself that confirmed Crosby won’t be traded this summer.
“He’s going to start the year with the Penguins, I don’t think there’s any doubt about that,” insider Elliotte Friedman said on the 32 Thoughts Podcast. “We also got the preliminary media list [from the NHL], and it said ‘Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins’. So that’s a sign to me. If anybody doubted that, he isn’t getting traded this summer.“
The calm before the storm
Perhaps because of them accepting it’s time to rebuild, or for whatever reason, the Penguins have been the most straightforward franchise this offseason. Pittsburgh made it clear it’s willing to negotiate on trades involving Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell, and even Erik Karlsson.
Still, the Black and Yellow have yet to find any trade partners for their trio of talented veterans who could be on the move. As Friedman suggests, conversations could heat up at any moment, perhaps closer to when the ice starts to freeze over across the NHL. For now, everyone seems to be enjoying the last days of summer.
“People are always asking is there any trade talk. Obviously, Pittsburgh has been around it. I don’t think there’s anything imminent there, on any file,” Friedman added. “Although, it can always change with one phone call. I’m assuming things are going to heat up later in the summer.”
The spotlight loves the Penguins
Once again, the Penguins will headline the NHL’s opening night in the 2025-26 campaign. It will be in a matchup against none other than Mike Sullivan and the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
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The setup simply screams for the brightest lights to shine on the Pens and the Broadway Blueshirts. Crosby takes on the coach who led him and Pittsburgh to back-to-back Stanley Cups—and he does so in the world’s most famous arena. The Penguins will enter the concrete jungle looking to send a message across the league in a season where nobody is giving Pittsburgh a shot.