The odds of Sidney Crosby joining Nathan MacKinnon on the Avalanche were always low. Real low. One of the greatest players to ever play the game, Crosby always seemed like a guy who wanted to spend his entire career with one franchise, even if that franchise appears to be headed in the wrong direction. On Monday, the superstar center signed an extension that will keep him in Pittsburgh for another two years beyond this coming season.
I’m sorry, Avalanche fans – the dream of Crosby and MacKinnon teaming up in Colorado appears to be dead.
By taking significantly less than market value (again), Crosby showed his commitment to the Penguins organization and just how unselfish he is. $8.7 million for two more years is a steal no matter which way you look at it. Do I expect the Penguins to be any good the next few years? Not really. Crosby is still great, but we’ve seen in recent years that Crosby alone isn’t enough to carry that team to the postseason. The rest of the core is aging, and not aging as gracefully as the Nova Scotia native.
Crosby could have easily gone to the open market and received more money and probably a better opportunity to win another Stanley Cup. Obviously, he doesn’t care about that. He’s committed to one franchise and that franchise is the Penguins.
That’s bad news for anyone hoping he’d join his good pal Nate in Denver.
Sure, there’s always the 2027 trade deadline to look forward to, but if Crosby didn’t want to leave Pittsburgh now, when it’s pretty clear they’re headed for a steep decline, I’m not sure why he’d change his mind and want to leave at the very end of his career. The photoshops were fun and highly entertaining, but I just don’t think it’s happening.
Avalanche fans will have to settle for watching MacKinnon and Crosby team up together at the 4 Nations Face-Off this coming February, and probably again at the 2026 Winter Olympics. They won’t be wearing Avalanche jerseys, but that’s probably the last time we’ll get to see these two play together.
We’ll always have the Halifax reunion, though.