Sidney Crosby Set to Break Longstanding Penguins Franchise Record if Not Traded

It's going to be one of the more intriguing storylines for the next several months and even over the entire next year - will Pittsburgh Penguins captain and future Hall of Famer Sidney Crosby, who has led the team to 3 Stanley Cups, finish his career in Pittsburgh?

Crosby has found himself the subject of building trade speculation, especially with the fact that the Penguins aren't expected to come close to contending for a postseason spot anytime soon.

Additionally, his longtime teammate and fellow Pittsburgh franchise icon Evgeni Malkin is allegedly on the verge of retirement after playing what is the final year of his current contract.

If Crosby remains with the Penguins this year and can stay healthy, he's only 36 points away from tying Mario Lemieux for 1st all-time in team history.

Right now, Crosby has 1,687 points (625G, 1,062A). He's within 36 points of Lemieux's record of 1,723 points (690G, 1,033A). When he ties and passes Lemieux, he'll move into 8th place all time in NHL history in total points.

Lemieux's career was initially cut short in 1992 when he was diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma, but he underwent radiation therapy and chemotherapy and successfully returned to the NHL the following year.

He retired for the 1st time in 1997, only to make a highly publicized return in December 2000; he would play the first few weeks of the 2005-06 year, Crosby's rookie season, before retiring for the final time.

Nearly 10 years ago, Crosby spoke about what Lemieux meant to the Penguins.

Only Lemieux has meant more to the Penguins as an organization both on and off the ice, and soon, Lemieux's scoring record will be broken by Crosby.

It was around this point last year that the Penguins and Crosby came to an agreement on a 2 year contract extension, keeping him under contract through 2027 with his traditional AAV (average annual value) of $8.7 million.

His AAV is a clear nod to his No. 87 sweater number, which he's worn throughout his entire professional career.