Canadiens Would Be Contenders With Crosby Trade

With Crosby filling out the second-line centre spot, this moves Kirby Dach to the third line with possibly Alex Newhook and Zach Bolduc. The Canadiens are gaining substantial depth and scoring in the top nine, along with a strong fourth line featuring Brendan Gallagher, Josh Anderson, and Jake Evans. This would be the first time in decades that Montreal had a lineup this deep and practical, with all lines a potential threat. Even the power play (PP) will boast solid depth, featuring multiple players capable of playing on either the first or second unit, effectively creating two top PPs that will be challenging to contain.

Canadiens Would Need to Give to Get

The Penguins have no plans to move Crosby, unless he asks for one, which some could speculate his agent wants him to do. The Penguins are headed for a rebuild, with several aging players, but their contracts aren’t too bad, considering. Crosby, for instance, is only an average value annual (AAV) of $8.7 million, which is a steal for what he brought last season at 37 years old; he had 91 points in 80 games. The fact that he is who he is and continues to produce at a high level this late in his career means Crosby won’t come cheap. The Canadiens would first have to free up space. With the Carey Price trade to the San Jose Sharks, they have just over $4.5 million in cap space, which is just over half of what they would need to cover Crosby’s AAV.

The Habs project to have around $20 million of cap space at the deadline, but they would still have to fit Crosby under the original cap because of the new playoff cap rules. If Montreal doesn’t move at least $5 million during the season, they would need to sit one of their higher-paid players in the playoffs to allow Crosby to play. The Penguins will probably not want a veteran from the Canadiens, unless it’s Caufield, Slafkovsky or someone of that nature, and Montreal won’t want to give up one of those players for two seasons of Crosby. So general manager Kent Hughes will have to be creative and use a lot of high draft picks and prospects, or be willing to part with a David Reinbacher-type prospect.

Crosby Holds All the Cards

The only way Crosby goes anywhere is if he decides he wants to move on. The Penguins are heading in the opposite direction of a Cup contender, and “Sid the Kid” only has a short time left to have another chance to win Lord Stanley. The Canadiens do seem like an excellent option; they are a young team loaded with talent, and Crosby would be the perfect mentor for Demidov and the rest of the team. He would also have other options, such as the Colorado Avalanche, where he can play with his hometown buddy, Nathan MacKinnon.

Crosby grew up a Habs fan; the Habs drafted his father as a goaltender in 1984, but he never played in the NHL. The connections are there; it’s no longer just a pipe dream, but it’s not reality either. The Canadiens would benefit immensely with Crosby, but only for a short time; Hughes would have to mitigate if the risk is worth the reward. So far, Hughes has been patiently doing all the right things to improve this team promptly. Getting Crosby speeds that process up tenfold, but it could be worth it.