Could the Toronto Maple Leafs trade for the best player of all-time?
Though it's extremely unlikely that the Toronto Maple Leas will ever find a way to get Sidney Crosby onto their roster, I don't think it's impossible, and a story earlier in the week made me think it was at least somewhat feasible.
There’s a wild conspiracy theory going around regarding a reported trade between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Dallas Stars involving Evgeni Malkin.
Now, I don’t like to comment on speculation unless it comes from trusted sources like Elliotte Friedman, Pierre LeBrun, or Darren Dreger, to name the most cited individuals.
However, I couldn’t help but think that trading Malkin (assuming he waives his no-movement clause) would certainly indicate the Penguins are open for business. While there has been pushback from the team’s ownership against a rebuild, the fact is that the Penguins’ competitive window has closed.
So, if the Penguins trade Malkin, could that mean that Sidney Crosby could be on the block, too?
Earlier this year, Penguins GM Kyle Dubas implied that everyone was available except Crosby. Crosby signed a team-friendly deal to stay in Pittsburgh for two more years. But with the Penguins sinking to the bottom of the Metro Division standings, the time might have come for the Fenway Sports Group to embrace reality.
Embracing that reality could mean trading Crosby to recoup pieces and draft picks to support an accelerated rebuild. While that may be a tough proposition for the Penguins, given their lack of high-end prospects, they’ll need to start somewhere in order to get back into contention as soon as possible.
This line of thought leads me to one possibility: Could Sidney Crosby be headed to the Toronto Maple Leafs? As kooky as that may sound, it wouldn’t be out of the question.
One major reason why Sidney Crosby to Toronto Maple Leafs makes sense
There’s a significant reason why Sidney Crosby may choose to come to the Toronto Maple Leafs: Mitch Marner.
Marner and Crosby are notable friends. They work out together during the summer. This past summer, Marner joined Crosby and Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon at Crosby’s summer cap. That relationship could be the tipping point in convincing Crosby to accept a trade.
Moreover, Crosby, like Marner, holds all the cards in a potential trade situation. That could mean that the price tag for Crosby wouldn’t be so high. While there’s little chance the Pens agree to a deal that doesn’t involve a first-round pick, the overall package wouldn’t be astronomical.
The Leafs could send a prospect like Nick Robertson (heaven forbid Easton Cowan, Fraser Minten, or Nikita Grebenkin) and a roster forward like David Kampf to offset the open roster spot for the Penguins. The package could also include a couple of mid-round picks to round out the deal.
Ultimately, seeing Crosby in a Leafs’ uniform would be like Gretzky agreeing to come to Toronto in 1988. But I would say to fans: Never say never. Hockey is a business and Penguins’ ownership is all about the bottom line. FSG gutted the Boston Red Sox and the Penguins could be next.