Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup – September 14, 2025
More Sidney Crosby trade speculation plus the latest on the Canucks in the Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup.
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW: Mark Madden believes that, for the first time in Sidney Crosby’s NHL career, the prospect of the Penguins’ superstar finishing his playing days with another team seems real.
Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby (NHL Images).
Madden based this on comments made by Crosby’s agent, Pat Brisson, who suggested last week that a trade was “always a possibility.” He doesn’t expect the Penguins captain to be moved if the club winds up sold this season. If they remain in the hands of the current ownership, they won’t trade their biggest asset during this season.
If Crosby ends up traded, Madden believes it’ll happen following the 2025-26 campaign. He considers a move at the trade deadline to be a long shot. “Crosby’s addiction to routine makes a midseason move squeamish.”
Crosby would have one season left on his contract after 2025-26. That might hurt his trade value, but a Stanley Cup contender might be willing to pay big to get him.
THE ATHLETIC: Arpon Basu believes if Crosby wants to be traded, the Montreal Canadiens can offer exactly what he wants.
The Canadiens have the young players and draft picks to meet the Penguins’ asking price in a trade. Certain core players, including Ivan Demidov, would be untouchable.
Other clubs, such as the Colorado Avalanche, Tampa Bay Lightning, Dallas Stars, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Florida Panthers, might give Crosby a better chance to win the Stanley Cup. However, the Canadiens exceeded expectations last season and reached the playoffs. They’re a team on the rise, and Crosby could accelerate that ascension.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Only one person can decide if Crosby will be traded, and that’s Crosby. He has a full no-movement clause, giving him complete control over his situation. Given his status as the Penguins’ franchise player and one of the game’s greatest stars, the Penguins aren’t going to push him out the door. The decision is his alone.
Basu also noted that the Canadiens were Crosby’s favorite team when he was growing up, and he has always been treated well by Montreal fans whenever he plays there.
As for trade assets, Marc Dumont of Montreal Hockey Now included center Michael Hage and goaltender Jacob Fowler among those promising young players who would be the most enticing. Whether the Canadiens would actually part with either one for one year of Sidney Crosby seems unlikely, but not impossible.
Still, it’s more likely that the Canadiens resolve their second-line center needs internally or with a more affordable option from a different team before the March trade deadline.
THE PROVINCE: Patrick Johnston reports the Vancouver Canucks’ management will be on the hot seat this season.
If the Canucks fail to rebound from last season’s disappointing performance, Johnston believes there will be changes in the front office. That will put plenty of pressure on Jim Rutherford, the president of hockey operations, and general manager Patrik Allvin.
A source who is a “close observer” of the situation told Johnston that those management changes could come by Christmas if the Canucks stumble out of the gate.
It’s not like Hughes or Gorton to give up top flight future assets like Hage for a season or two of Crosby. That may have some short term gain but would cause long term pain. Of course if the Habs leap forward this season to the point that a player like Crosby could be the difference in winning a cup that might change. But I don’t think they’re there yet.
The Habs could give up a first, mid level roster players like Dach, Laine or Matheson and second tier prospects like Engstrom or Roy. But the Pens would want a big fish.
Howard those people you mention aren t even close.You have to give something to get something. Montreal waiting on prospects for the next few years might not work out.If you could have Crosby playing with the Russian kid I would jump at that. He could play3 more product full years with his disciplined training habits.
Sr I certainly understand that the players I mentioned wouldn’t be close. That was implied in my remark that the Pens would want a big fish. At least Fowler or Hage as the center piece, maybe even Demidov or Hutson.
Sid’s still a great player but he’ll be 40 when his contract expires. I don’t think at this point that they’re Cup contenders even with him and trading away top young players would only harm their long term prospects.
You have it exactly, Howard.
Nonetheless, resign yourself for this topic to keep reappearing, like Hydra’s heads.
Lj,Howard you guys are closer than you think.Other than Fla.,who has that much more than you in the East!
A few days ago this local article by Garrioch appeared citing a discussion on TSN’s show Overdrive about Ottawa as a possible destination for Crosby:
https://ottawacitizen.com/ottawa-senators/would-sidney-crosby-make-sense
The mention of Jake Sanderson as the expected return soon squelched that notion, but if Ottawa is well placed in the playoff hunt by trade deadline day in March 2026, would an offer including C Shane Pinto and a prospect or two not named Yakemchuk be of interest to the Penguins?
And, of course, would Sid even consider moving to Ottawa?
Extreme long-shot thinking for sure – but no more outlandish than any of the other sites mentioned as possibilities.
Imagine Sid centering Tkachuk and Batherson (one of his summer co-workout buddies in Nova Scotia)? Stutzle would then C line 2 with Perron and Zetterlund, while Cozens worked line 3 with Greig and Giroux and Eller line 4 with Amadio and Cousins.
Gotta love summer-induced dreams … lol.
Sid in Ottawa or Montreal would be an insane power shift and here is to being hopeful it happens.
George, when I read that interview I thought the same thing regarding Pinto as a trade chip. Would hurt for Pinto as I list Ned to a Batherson interview and he has introduced Pinto to Sid and MacKinnon a couple of years ago to their summer camp and apparently they’ve become quite good acquaintances since. But having those lines with Sid at the top would be something special.
I doubt the habs would part with Engstrom. They seem to really like him. However, Josh Roy is expandable they don’t have a suitable place for him in the roster.
Kirby Dach is the equivalent of Beau Bennett. Remember him? Of course not. He was injured for more games than he played. Pass. I wouldn’t trade Hayes for him. (Oh man, I just whacked the beehive with a stick, didn’t I).
SOG, you certainly didn’t whack the beehive. I agree that Dach would be a risky pickup for any team. But it’s still too soon for the Habs to give up on him.
I don’t believe Crosby trade status has anything to do with sale of team. Forbes has Pens value listed at 1.75 billion. Just can’t imagine a sale would hinge on a player who might retire when current deal is up after next season. This team seems destined for a rebuild. With 11 pending ufa’s plus 3 players who have lived in rumor mill all summer, there could be mass exodus at tdl. Just can’t see Crosby wanting to stick around.
Crosby’s nmc will limit teams he’ll agree to and thus lower return. Also, his age and fact he won’t be around for long will keep it reasonable. Retention will help. His actual salary this season is less than a mil after 9mil signing bonus. Money owed on contract at deadline will be around 8 mil.
Last time Rangers won cup followed a season they missed playoffs. They made win now moves at deadline. After watching a failed rebuild since “the letter”, where multiple 1st rounders didn’t pan out, Drury should be calling Dubas at deadline.
To NY: Crosby (50% retained) and Rakell
To Pitt: Laf, Othmann, Soucy, Terrance, 2026 1st, 2027 1st.
Hard pass on that trade
Always with trading LaFrenierre. From a Pens fan : No thanks. Nope. No. No freaking way. Thanks for playing. And Crosby should never, ever, be seen in. Rangers’ jersey (professionally).
Let’s say Crosby asked for a move out of Pittsburgh. I can really only think of 3 teams that make sense. In order 1) Colorado: his best friend is there, they’re a team whose aspirations are Cup or bust, they would be willing to give whatever they have to give to get Crosby. It’s almost like guaranteeing them a Cup. 2) Montreal: since the Pens are rebuild-bound, it makes sense for the Pens to ship Crosby there. They’d get a nice haul, as Montreal is deep in prospects and picks, and salaried players to make the money work. And 3)…..this is a long shot of long shots but……Vancouver. Not that my Canucks have nearly enough to give to land Crosby (I live in the real world guys….), but…..Crosby knows Rutherford and Alvin. He’s won Cups with them. If anyone could sell him on the West coast, it might be Rutherford. Plus, the Canucks could use that shot in the arm offensively.
Slick62, where is Lemieux on buying back the team? John Henry, is a shrewd negotiator who seems to buy and sell at the right time.
Philadelphia just solved their 3G situation, and their miniscule cap reserve pf just $370,238 nu trading goalie Ivan Fedotov and his $3,275,000 cap hit to Columbus for a 2026 6th round pick. hey now jump to $3.645.238 in cap space with 22 signed – 12F 8D 2G (Vladar and Ersson).
Columbus, on the other hand, now has a 3G situation with Merzlikins, Fedotov and Greaves with 24 roster spots currently showing at Puckpedia – 14F 7D 3G. It will be interesting to see if Greaves is optioned (he required waivers) or Merzlikins dealt.
The Blues Jackets drop from $15,567,501 in cap reserve to $12,292,501 – for now.
Philadelphia just solved their 3G situation, and their miniscule cap reserve pf just $370,238 nu trading goalie Ivan Fedotov and his $3,275,000 cap hit to Columbus for a 2026 6th round pick. hey now jump to $3.645.238 in cap space with 22 signed – 12F 8D 2G (Vladar and Ersson).
Columbus, on the other hand, now has a 3G situation with Merzlikins, Fedotov and Greaves with 24 roster spots currently showing at Puckpedia – 14F 7D 3G. It will be interesting to see if Greaves is optioned (he requires waivers) or if Merzlikins could be on the move.
Columbus drops from a cap reserve of $15,567,501 to $12,292,501. For now.
Sorry for the duplication. I repeated an earlier gaffe by submitting a post with a screwed-up e-mail addie, and thought I could catch the second one by an immediate re-0submit. Nope.
Bah. I dont if you post it 6 times, George. I’ll read it all the same.
Heh … now, a few hours later … Puckpedia, in their Columbus page, shows them with cap space of $13,442,501 and a 23-man roster – 14F 7D 2G – with Fedotov listed under “Buried” at a cap it of $2,125,000!!
Any one know what the heck is going on here? Clearly, the implication is that Columbus acquired him for depth purposes … but what happened to the other $1,250,000 of his cap hit?
Lyle, can you shed some light on this?
I put the question to Google and got this:
“The remaining $1,250,000 of Ivan Fedotov’s $3,375,000 cap hit goes to the Columbus Blue Jackets’ salary cap because the team has not yet “buried” enough of his salary in the minors to reach the “buried salary” limit of $1,050,000. After subtracting the $1,050,000, Fedotov’s remaining salary is $775,000, which counts toward the Blue Jackets’ cap. His base salary is only $775,000, but the contract’s overall cap hit is $3,375,000 due to a $2,500,000 signing bonus that has already been paid.”
Holy bleeding complicated!!
The acquisition of Fedotov “should not be seen as a challenge to Greaves/Merzlikins,” and that Fedotov was acquired to support their AHL squad.
I don’t see the Habs or Sens anywhere near winning a Stanley cup, so can’t see Crosby ever considering joining either one of those teams. Crosby will retire a Penguin.
Both teams might be closer than you think. Sid is also a crazy competitor and could see him not liking sitting at the bottom of the standings. He could give the Pens one last gift by going to another team and getting them some valuable rebuild pieces. He can always come back for a last swan song and retire a pen. Deep down we all know he’s a pen lifer
I don’t see the Habs or Sens anywhere near winning a Stanley cup, so can’t see Crosby ever considering joining either one of those teams. Crosby will retire a Penguin.
I agree that Sid will likely retire a Pen. The contenders are normally short of the good young prospects the Pens would need as they’ve traded them away for runs at the cup. And they likely wouldn’t have the cap space. And it wouldn’t yet be worth it for the Habs and Sens to trade what the Pens would need.
The Habs situation has improved a lot from last year as is considering who left and who came in.
Out
Armia
Dvorak
Pezzetta
Savard
Primeau
In
Dobson
Bolduc
Veleno
Blais
Demidov
Laine-starting the year
Carrier- starting the year
Dobes- starting the year
Adding Crosby to this group elevates the Habs to SC contenders
“Adding Crosby to this group elevates the Habs to SC contenders“
And yet, per some posters on this site, nothing of true value to the Penguins is on the table to trade. Be it Montreal or Ottawa.
Well, after Sid, Pittsburgh has nothing at C even close to Pinto.
SOG,
It all depends on what the motivation is to trade Cosby and what their expected return is.
Cosby gives immediate help to a young team on the brink of making it. Trading away those young roster pieces is counter-productive
Ottawa trading Sanderson, Pinto takes them out of contention.
Habs trading Demidov, Hutson takes them out of contention.
Pittsburgh trading Crosby is a tanking move, not a move to improve the club, so “true value” isn’t easy to determine.
I’ve said this in other posts that IF Crosby were to be traded he will determine the location and the GM of this team will know that and the price will not be that steep. Crosby will want to go to a strong contending team and this team will not weaken itself by giving up players like Demidov, Pinto, etc..
The price for Crosby will likely be 3 pieces, a prospect, a pick and a roster player salary dump. From Mtl it would take Dach or Newhook (salary dump) plus Kapanen or Beck or Engstrom (good prospect) and a top 10 protected 1st round pick. From Ott it would take Perron (salary dump) plus Yakemchuk or Hensler and a top 10 protected 2027 1st (since Ott has to forfeit their 2026 1st).
People and insiders saying that Mtl would have to give up Demidov or Hutson are out to lunch. They are either just plain dumb or their Mtl hate doesn’t even allow them to consider the real situation IF Crosby ever decided to move on.
Remember people you are dealing for probably 18 months of a 38 yr old Crosby not a 30-32 Crosby that has 5 plus years left in him.