![\"Sidney](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/122574796.jpg\" "\\"Sidney")
Sidney Crosby helps friend join Blue Jackets, sparking Penguins trade rumors (Image via: Getty Images) Sidney Crosby is once again in the NHL spotlight, but not just for his performance on the ice. As trade rumors continue to surround the Pittsburgh Penguins captain, a recent off-ice gesture has only intensified the speculation. Crosby\u2019s personal involvement in helping a longtime Penguins staffer secure a new job has fans and analysts questioning what it means for his own future.<\/p>\n
Sidney Crosby\u2019s call to Columbus raises questions about his future in Pittsburgh<\/p>\n
On July 15, The Athletic reported that Sidney Crosby personally called Columbus Blue Jackets executive Rick Nash to endorse Paul DeFazio, a longtime Penguins equipment manager, for a new role in Columbus. DeFazio was ultimately named the head equipment manager for the Blue Jackets\u2014a move that wouldn\u2019t have been possible without Crosby\u2019s recommendation.Nash later confirmed Crosby\u2019s call, saying, \u201cWhen Sid called, I asked him, \u2018What are you going to do now if we take him?\u2019 And he said, \u2018I\u2019ll figure it out. He deserves it.\u2019\u201d While the gesture showed Crosby\u2019s loyalty, it also triggered new questions about whether he is preparing for a potential departure from the Penguins.Crosby, 37, is currently playing under a two-year, $17.4 million contract signed in September 2024. With the Penguins coming off another disappointing season, speculation about the future of the franchise and Crosby\u2019s place in it is gaining momentum.<\/p>\n
NHL insiders link Crosby to possible Canadiens trade<\/p>\n
ESPN\u2019s Greg Wyshynski recently said on a podcast that if the Penguins start the 2025\u201326 season poorly, Crosby could be traded before the deadline. Wyshynski listed the Montreal Canadiens as the most likely destination, citing Crosby\u2019s Canadian roots and the Canadiens\u2019 interest in adding a veteran presence.While no official talks have been confirmed, the idea of Crosby leaving Pittsburgh is no longer being dismissed as impossible.<\/p>\n
Crosby\u2019s camp and Penguins’ management push back<\/p>\n
Despite growing rumors, Crosby\u2019s agent Pat Brisson called the speculation \u201cbaseless.\u201d Penguins GM Kyle Dubas also dismissed the reports, stating the team is still focused on building around Crosby. Close friend Nathan MacKinnon labeled the trade talk as \u201cFake news.\u201dAlso Read: Matthew Tkachuk injury update: Panthers star may miss start of 2025\u201326 NHL season after gritty Stanley Cup run<\/a>For now, Crosby remains in Pittsburgh but his recent off-ice actions and the uncertain direction of the franchise are keeping trade rumors alive.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sidney Crosby helps friend join Blue Jackets, sparking Penguins trade rumors (Image via: Getty Images) Sidney Crosby is…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":127100,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5108],"tags":[3644,5180,897,230,5179,2593,22548,5,4,106,14703,118,100,9078,18396],"class_list":{"0":"post-127099","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-columbus-blue-jackets","8":"tag-blue-jackets","9":"tag-bluejackets","10":"tag-columbus","11":"tag-columbus-blue-jackets","12":"tag-columbusbluejackets","13":"tag-crosby","14":"tag-crosby-career","15":"tag-hockey","16":"tag-nhl","17":"tag-nhl-news","18":"tag-nhl-trades-2025","19":"tag-penguins","20":"tag-pittsburgh-penguins","21":"tag-rick-nash","22":"tag-sidney-crosby-trade-rumors"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/114862986642814045","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127099","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=127099"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127099\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/127100"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=127099"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=127099"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=127099"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}