Scribe Maps Out Crosby’s Strongest Potential Trade Landing Spots

Strong Possibilities for a Crosby Trade

Russo identifies the Florida Panthers and Montreal Canadiens as the two teams with the clearest paths and means to acquire Crosby.

Florida is always active and their competitive window is wide open, with a chance to threepeat this season. If Crosby desires to chase another Stanley Cup, the Panthers are a natural fit and give him the best odds. There would be some salary cap juggling that would need to happen, but never count the Panthers out.

Meanwhile, Montreal offers a fairy-tale scenario for No. 87, who grew up a Canadiens fan. The Habs have a ton of cap space, the desire to add Crosby if he’s open to it, and the idea that he could live out his boyhood dream seems too good to overlook.

The Crosby Maybes

Teams like the Carolina Hurricanes, Colorado Avalanche, Vancouver Canucks, and Minnesota Wild are also in the conversation, but listed as maybes.

Of the maybes, Colorado offers the most appealing option with Nathan MacKinnon on the roster. They are a high-end team with a strong chance to make the playoffs. MacKinnon is close friends with Crosby and there’s always been an underlying theory that these two might want to play together at some point.

The Crosby Slight Chances

Some playoff hopefuls and legitimate Cup contenders, including the Edmonton Oilers, Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings, Nashville Predators, Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vegas Golden Knights, and Winnipeg Jets, could theoretically make moves. However, in each case, Russo notes there are hurdles for each team to overcome. Most were either related to the salary cap or roster fits.

No Way on Crosby

Several clubs, including Boston, Chicago, Ottawa, Los Angeles, Seattle, Washington, San Jose, and Utah, were categorized as non-starters by Russo. These were teams that are either rebuilding or offer nothing more than the Penguins can offer at this point in Crosby’s career. There would be no reason for him to leave Pittsburgh to join these franchises.

At the end of the day, Crosby likely isn’t going anywhere. And, if he were to decide that a trade was on the table, only a couple of teams would make for a strong fit.