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Sidney Crosby to Canadiens talk takes big turn after latest report by insider Chris Johnston
Photo credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Chris Johnston just cooled the Sidney Crosby to Montreal Canadiens chatter, and Penguins fans should breathe easier.
Johnston’s read is blunt: Pittsburgh being in a playoff spot changes everything.
Sidney Crosby is still driving the bus at 27-32-59 through 56 games, and that is the kind of production you do not “shop.”
The Penguins sit 29-15-12, and that reality makes a blockbuster feel like fantasy, not planning.
For Montreal, the dream was always about timing, not assets.
If Pittsburgh stumbled, the noise would have turned into phone calls.
Instead, Johnston says “that ship has now sailed,” and points the Canadiens toward other veteran centers, with Nazem Kadri as the best swing left.
"There was a time when Montreal might have held out hope Sidney Crosby would become available...that ship has now sailed; surveying the list of other veteran centers available, they might not get a shot to add anyone better than Nazem Kadri."
- Chris Johnston
- Chris Johnston
That’s the update Penguins fans needed, because it ties the rumor directly to the standings.
It also frames Crosby exactly how Pittsburgh should frame him: the standard, not a trade chip.
Sidney Crosby keeps the Pittsburgh Penguins chasing
Honestly, the fan mood in Pittsburgh is protective right now, like, stop talking about exits and just let him drag this group into spring.
Crosby’s value is more than points, it is pace, matchups, and the way he stabilizes the top-six every night.
Even if Montreal circles back in July, this version of the Penguins is not behaving like a seller.
And if Kadri really is Montreal’s best “Plan B,” it quietly confirms the obvious: there is still nobody on the market better than No. 87.
Keep the focus where it belongs, on the next game and the next two points.
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