Sidney Crosby: staying in Pittsburgh after such a tournament must not be tempting

Dose
Crédit: Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

I am the first to doubt a transaction involving Sidney Crosby.

The captain of the Penguins is one of the greatest players in the franchise’s history, and clearly, he is well aware of this. He even agreed to sign at a discount to remain in Pennsylvania.

Not everyone would have done that.

But it is easy to wonder, on the sidelines of the Four Nations Confrontation, how much Crosby has gotten back into the competitive game and high-stakes duels.

On Saturday, he participated in his biggest game in years. This afternoon, he will fight for his survival. And maybe on Thursday evening, he will play for the gold medal of the tournament.

It’s been a while since he has played such games.

So the question arises: how much will the last few days make Crosby think that yes, it could be interesting to go try to win the Stanley Cup elsewhere?

I do not believe this will happen by March 7. And as I said, if I had to bet, I would say that by the end of his next contract, #87 will remain with the Penguins.

But Kyle Dubas must be wondering if the tournament could give ideas to his captain. And if he wants to leave, he will leave.

After all, Crosby will experience a real “reality check” when he steps back into the Penguins’ locker room and is not exactly surrounded by the same guys as with Team Canada.

You might say that Samuel Montembeault will experience the same thing when he sees Christian Dvorak instead of Mitch Marner and Michael Pezzetta instead of Drew Doughty… but you understand my point.

in brief

– Already?

– Better hurry: he won’t be able to go after the first round. #Curse

– A duel not to be missed.

– He is strong, yes.