Would Kyle Dubas ask Sidney Crosby to waive no-movement clause if Penguins collapse?

The Pittsburgh Penguins emerged as the top positive surprise of the opening month of the 2025-26 NHL season and began Wednesday at 8-4-2. 

However, Pittsburgh's third-period collapse in what became a 4-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs this past Monday night sparked fears among Penguins fans that the rebuilding club could soon meet the expectations many had for it at the start of October. 

The biggest storyline hovering over the Penguins leading up to the fall involved questions about whether or not longtime captain Sidney Crosby could ask to be traded during or after the season. For a piece produced by The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun that was published on Wednesday, Penguins president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas revealed whether he would ask Crosby to accept a trade if Pittsburgh plummets to the bottom of the league standings. 

Kyle Dubas makes Penguins' Sidney Crosby intentions clear

"No, I would never," Dubas told LeBrun about possibly approaching Crosby about waiving his full no-movement clause. "He’s got two years, this year and next year, on his contract. And I just think that if we continue to take the right steps and we continue to win, that’s the great solution to everything in sports. Just have to win."

Dubas was referencing how Crosby signed a two-year extension in September 2024 that runs through the 2026-27 season. While agent Pat Brisson suggested in September that the three-time Stanley Cup champion could eventually ask to be traded if it became clear the Penguins were "tanking," Crosby later insisted that Pittsburgh "is where I want to be."

Are Penguins, Sidney Crosby on same page amid rebuild? 

Before the season got underway, Crosby acknowledged that expectations regarding what the 2025-26 Penguins could achieve were low "from the outside." That doesn't mean Crosby, 38, was ok with the Pens punting on a campaign at this stage of his Hall of Fame career. 

"We’re trying to put ourselves in a position to win every single day," Dubas told LeBrun. "...I understand that it doesn’t appear on the outside at times that it’s glaringly obvious, but internally, we have very different viewpoints on it, and the results of the team will dictate who’s right and who’s wrong. I communicate that with Sid and with Pat, and I just don’t think we can veer from it if we’re going to deliver for him a team that can contend while he’s still at this level, while he’s still playing. …We’re very fortunate to have a person of that character, capability, of that winning pedigree, all in one."

For now, Crosby and Co. will remain focused on continuing to surprise analysts who predicted in early October that Pittsburgh would be a last-place team. The Penguins next host the Washington Capitals (6-5-1) on Thursday evening.