Canadiens Named Ideal Team for Sidney Crosby in Rental Trade

It’s that time of the year when the NHL is about to get the content machine going but still dormant while we wait for the start of training camps and the preseason. That’s why we’re steadily reading stories like the one considering Sidney Crosby as a rental player for the Montreal Canadiens.

That’s correct, and that’s the scenario floated by TSN analyst Travis Yost in a story written on September 3 in which he considered a few landing spots in the long-shot event where Pittsburgh trades its captain.

“No team would benefit more from a rental of Crosby than the Canadiens, owing to their relative weakness down the middle,” Yost wrote.

“In the case of Montreal, Crosby’s presence and the displacement of one top-nine centre would mean a net improvement of five wins in the standings,” Yost added. “That is exceptional.

” Crosby, who is entering the final season of his 12-year, $104 million contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins, remains one of the NHL’s elite players even at 37, finishing last season with 94 points (42 goals) in 82 games.

Yost, despite the low probability of a trade happening, explored the possibility of Crosby being moved as a rental highlighting the Habs as the team that would benefit the most from such a move.

Additionally, Crosby’s leadership would be invaluable to a young Canadiens roster, making the idea all the more appealing.

The Penguins are coming off back-to-back seasons in which they missed the playoffs, which might lead the franchise to make the unthinkable and trade Crosby. That’d kickstart a potential rebuild before their long-time captain calls it a career, let alone leaves as a free agent in 2025, which is still a possibility on the table.