Sidney Crosby's Future in Pittsburgh Addressed as Elliotte Friedman Reveals Penguins' Trade Plans

The Pittsburgh Penguins have missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of the last 3 years, marking the longest drought in the career of longtime captain Sidney Crosby.

Though it may seem unthinkable to see Crosby wearing the sweater of another NHL team, he's been heavily involved in trade speculation as many fans and analysts believe he could choose to try and chase 1 last Stanley Cup with good friend Nathan MacKinnon in Colorado before his Hall of Fame career comes to an inevitable end.

But for Penguins fans who are worried about a potential immediate trade of Crosby, they apparently needn't be.

Per NHL analyst Elliotte Friedman on his latest '32 Thoughts' podcast, Crosby isn't going to be traded, at least not this summer.

The Penguins aren't expected to realistically compete for a postseason spot this year and could be seeing trades in the near future of players like Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust, and even defenseman Erik Karlsson.

While speculation continues to surround Crosby about his future plans with the Penguins, one player that is likely going to be calling it a career after this season is his longtime teammate, Evgeni Malkin.

Malkin is entering the final year of his contract and by all indications, the Penguins won't offer him another one.

While Crosby's career is eventually going to be winding down, it looks like this could be the last chance for Penguins fans to see Malkin play in person while wearing a Pittsburgh sweater.