Penguins GM responds to controversial comments made by Sidney Crosby's agent

Agent Pat Brisson generated headlines when he suggested earlier this month that client Sidney Crosby could eventually ask the Pittsburgh Penguins for a trade amid their rebuild.

Crosby insisted on Monday that Pittsburgh "is where I want to be." During a Thursday news conference, Penguins president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas responded to Brisson's controversial comments. 

What Kyle Dubas is focused on amid Sidney Crosby trade rumors

"I didn’t take from Pat’s comments that he necessarily disagrees with where we’re at," Dubas explained, as shared by Josh Yohe of The Athletic. "I talk with Pat daily. Twice daily, about all of our clients on our team and other goings on around the league. He’s entitled to make the comments that he wishes. We can’t alter the course we’re on. We have to focus on doing what’s right for the Pittsburgh Penguins. I knew when I signed up for this job that this likely was going to be a part of it. It doesn’t deter us from the task at hand." 

Dubas likely won't turn the Penguins, who finished the 2024-25 campaign in 13th place in the Eastern Conference standings, into an immediate championship contender. Since Brisson spoke with The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun, DraftKings Sportsbook has had the Penguins at +600 odds to qualify for the playoffs this season. 

"We want a team that can contend for the Stanley Cup year in and year out, regardless of what different media members want or where they want to see Sid play," Dubas said in an apparent reference to stories routinely linking Crosby with the Montreal Canadiens. "We have to do what’s right for the Pittsburgh Penguins regardless of any sort of commentary or things that are said in the media. It doesn’t deter us." 

Can Penguins become contenders before Sidney Crosby retires?

Brisson recently compared Crosby to former NFL quarterback Tom Brady, who earned his seventh Super Bowl ring and was named Super Bowl MVP for the fifth time as a 43-year-old in February 2021. While Crosby turned 38 this past August, Dubas believes the franchise legend can help the Penguins get back to where they want to be before he retires.

"I wouldn’t put any timeline on Sid to stop being himself," Dubas added during his comments. "...I’ll borrow Pat’s example of Tom Brady. That’s the one that caused things to go on an off-ramp that no one wants it really to go on. He’s a player that, if he plays until that age and at that level, it wouldn’t be surprising. He would downplay it. But I don’t think anybody else would be surprised if, years from now, he’s still playing at an elite level. No one puts into it more than he does." 

That said, Crosby's current contract only runs through the 2026-27 season. Thus, some think he could reconsider retiring as a one-club man if the Penguins still appear to be multiple offseasons away from competing.