Sidney Crosby has been around a long time. He's seen a lot during his time with the Penguins.
Something he isn't quite used to that he's dealt with over the last year or so, though, is his name being thrown around in speculation surrounding possible trades.
To be clear: There's never once been a serious report from anywhere regarding a possible trade involving Crosby. And he confirmed to me here Tuesday at SAP Center after practice that the idea has never, ever been broached with him by the team. Still, speculation about a trade runs rampant among fans, podcasters and bloggers way too often.
"I know how speculation works: Everybody's looking to talk about different things, different scenarios," Crosby told me. "I can't control that. I don't know where that comes from. I don't think that it's something I'm going to discuss every time someone speculates something. I'm not going to answer it every time that happens."
Crosby called all the noise "a difficult part of losing."
"It's more than just the losses," he said. "It's all the stuff that comes with it. It's the trickle-down effect that comes with that. That's the way it is. But understanding that, I know that all my energy and all my focus is toward helping us and doing the best we can, and I can't control any of that other stuff."
It's not hard to understand the leap in logic that leads to the speculation: Crosby's 37 years old. He's signed for two more years after this year. He's ultra-competitive, and the Penguins don't seem to be close to being a contender just yet. But to come to the conclusion that he must want to jump ship and try to win elsewhere completely ignores how devoted he is to this team and trying to win here one more time.
"I'm trying to do everything I possibly can for us," he said. "Be at my best, to give us a chance to win every night, to be a good teammate. We all want to get through a difficult point right now. That's my mindset. All my energy is here and trying to do everything I can here."
Nothing Crosby said here is a surprise. He's expressed much of this before. When he signed his extension this past summer, his $8.7 million salary was far less than he could have gotten -- with Kyle Dubas later saying that they were willing to give him more. But Crosby saidthat he took the money he did to "give the team the best possible chance to be successful." This team. He struggled to put into words how much it meant to him to be in Pittsburgh this long, saying "the support, the people, the fans, the organization, just everything over the years has been really special. I've had some incredible experiences and memories. So I just want to continue that."
Crosby has been plain, time and time again, that he's not going anywhere. Hopefully, people will start believing him. He's earned that.
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THE ASYLUM
Taylor Haase
10:12 pm - 01.28.2025San Jose, Calif.One-on-one: Crosby makes clear his commitment
Sidney Crosby has been around a long time. He's seen a lot during his time with the Penguins.
Something he isn't quite used to that he's dealt with over the last year or so, though, is his name being thrown around in speculation surrounding possible trades.
To be clear: There's never once been a serious report from anywhere regarding a possible trade involving Crosby. And he confirmed to me here Tuesday at SAP Center after practice that the idea has never, ever been broached with him by the team. Still, speculation about a trade runs rampant among fans, podcasters and bloggers way too often.
"I know how speculation works: Everybody's looking to talk about different things, different scenarios," Crosby told me. "I can't control that. I don't know where that comes from. I don't think that it's something I'm going to discuss every time someone speculates something. I'm not going to answer it every time that happens."
Crosby called all the noise "a difficult part of losing."
"It's more than just the losses," he said. "It's all the stuff that comes with it. It's the trickle-down effect that comes with that. That's the way it is. But understanding that, I know that all my energy and all my focus is toward helping us and doing the best we can, and I can't control any of that other stuff."
It's not hard to understand the leap in logic that leads to the speculation: Crosby's 37 years old. He's signed for two more years after this year. He's ultra-competitive, and the Penguins don't seem to be close to being a contender just yet. But to come to the conclusion that he must want to jump ship and try to win elsewhere completely ignores how devoted he is to this team and trying to win here one more time.
"I'm trying to do everything I possibly can for us," he said. "Be at my best, to give us a chance to win every night, to be a good teammate. We all want to get through a difficult point right now. That's my mindset. All my energy is here and trying to do everything I can here."
Nothing Crosby said here is a surprise. He's expressed much of this before. When he signed his extension this past summer, his $8.7 million salary was far less than he could have gotten -- with Kyle Dubas later saying that they were willing to give him more. But Crosby said that he took the money he did to "give the team the best possible chance to be successful." This team. He struggled to put into words how much it meant to him to be in Pittsburgh this long, saying "the support, the people, the fans, the organization, just everything over the years has been really special. I've had some incredible experiences and memories. So I just want to continue that."
Crosby has been plain, time and time again, that he's not going anywhere. Hopefully, people will start believing him. He's earned that.
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
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