What if we got Kessel instead and then traded for bonino from Nashville to recreate the HBK line in caps colors? Could you imagine the hysteria from pens fans?

I know it’s a joke, but unless something crazy happens I see Crosby 100% retiring on pit. I think Malkin will get dealt later in his career though

Throw Brooks Orpik in there and we will send you back Letang or Jack Johnson (your pick)

call me crazy, but i actually think the value is spot on...maybe even a little excessive. Sort of on par with the gretzky trade, but the difference is crosby is 31 at time of trade while gretzky was 27, so the return is actually quite generous

Sandy Crosberg lmao.

Big overpay imo tho given that Crosby is 31. Not like you’re trading for a young Crosby.

and even at 31 he is STILL the best player in the game(or at worst second best).

If you take any PR and personal relationship and emotion out of it then its relatively reasonable value wise. Especially considering all those first round picks would be late 20s/early 30s.

Of course it would never happen because of all the off ice factors, even if Washington offered 10 firsts and their ten best prospects.

It’s so hard to put a value on Crosby. Not even just on ice performance but all the marketing, ticket sales increase, TV contracts, etc... I have zero idea what Crosby’s trade value actually would be other than its going to be VERY HIGH

Slow down, there.... ain't nobody trading Orpik!

And I guess that’s where we disagree. How many more years will Crosby be best or 2nd best? Kuzy has many more years left of being elite. Vrana is very young and only going up. I think Crosby can still do this for the next 3/4years or so but that’s when the decline will likely happen. He’ll still be great in the “decline” but not in terms of what you gave up to get him. Age matters.

Look at the Gretzky trade when he was 27 and hands down THEE player in the league. Traded when he won 7 art Ross trophies in a row. Then look at this trade for when Crosby is 31. You have Mcdavid who arguably has the title of THEE player and plenty others who beat Crosby in points and goals. These two trades should not be so similar to each other.

We commend your loyalty. That's about a 100% overpayment, up there.

Crosby is the better overall player than McDavid in many peoples opinions. Even if he is second, that is still a lot better than the combo of Vrana and Kuzy in the present, and probably for at least another 3 years. He also doesn't make much more than Kuzy despite being a much better player(not that Kuznetsov is a slouch), so as Vrana makes more salary the combo of those two will out salary Crosby but take longer to out produce.


It is the classic argument of short term vs long term for an NHL franchise. A team who wants to win in years 1-4 after the deal would rather have Crosby, the last two or three years of his contract they might surpass him in terms of production(even if he somehow fell off completely as a player he would be easy to trade away at that time, 8.7m cap hit but the salary actually paid would be less than half of that so if a team needs to get to the cap floor) but for the years 5-7 the team would rather have Kuznetsov and vrana and the draft picks.

(BTW Mario was the one who won BOTH the Hart and the Art Ross the season prior to the Gretzky trade)

And McDavid is a better overall player than Crosby in many peoples opinions. Sorry I missed by one year, the statement still holds strong. 7 Art Ross, 8 Hart, 5 rocket Richard trophies prior to be traded, along with many other awards, only at the age 27! It's clear to me that the trades should not be similar but to get Crosby it would have to be an overpay or it isn't happening. Outside looking in as a fan of neither team, I would not do this if I was Washington (am not factoring in team/player rivalries). If Crosby was younger, than yes. Age matters more than ever in the NHL. The old have a hard time surviving/striving.

**Not to mention two other players also went with Gretzky, one who put up 40-50 points a season.