Elliotte Friedman Reveals What's Truly Best for Sidney Crosby as Inner Circle Pushes for Change

Sidney Crosby, who is now 37, continues to perform at a high level, but with the Penguins missing the playoffs last season and the team's roster aging, speculation about what's next for him is growing.

Sidney Crosby, drafted first overall in 2005, has spent his whole career in Pittsburgh, winning three Stanley Cups and two MVPs.

He's built a Hall of Fame career while conducting himself with loyalty and professionalism, never making a lot of headlines for anything off the ice.

Yet the newest wave of trade rumors has brought about a different kind of conversation.

On the 32 Thoughts Podcast, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reported that someone familiar with Crosby suggested the captain is growing frustrated, not so much with the possibility of leaving, but with how frequently it's being discussed publicly.

Crosby has been a guy who values privacy and has handled major decisions in private. All of this speculation regarding a trade may be pushing him even further away from even considering it.

Friedman proposes that the chatter may be fortifying Crosby's determination to stay in Pittsburgh.

A year is left on his current contract, and Crosby's future is uncertain. A deal to a contender, some believe, would offer one last chance at a Stanley Cup. But if so, it will be on his terms, not because of public pressure or media speculation.

For now, he continues to captain the Penguins with low-key conviction. When Crosby's time in Pittsburgh does finally end, if it ever does, it won't be with a flourish; it'll be with the same class that's defined his entire career.