Could Pittsburgh Send Crosby to the West?

It is no secret that the Pittsburgh Penguins, the state rivals of the Flyers, are heading towards a major retooling, if not a rebuilding phase, within the next two years. While this core group of the Penguins has done an amazing job for the city and the organization, it has aged dramatically, and its best-before date is long overdue.

The new president and interim general manager, Kyle Dubas, who was not shy about making trades during his tenure as the general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, might want to consider moving one of his core pieces while they still hold value to kickstart this new phase of the team.

The idea of moving Sidney Crosby out of the Penguins might seem far-fetched; however, it could yield quality assets in return that would help the rebuilding process. Hockey Partrol's Hockey analyst Tyler Ball shows a mock trade that would send Crosby to the Colorado Avalanche.

The Avalanche, just two years after winning the cup, are still in "win-now" mode and are always looking for upgrades, especially at the center position. Despite being 35 years old, Crosby would certainly fit that bill and provide the team with plenty of firepower for another cup run.

The proposed mock trade is as follows:

The immediate impact of this trade would be a Colorado Avalanche win, as Sidney Crosby would team up with Nathan MacKinnon, augmenting the team's scoring significantly and giving them a legitimate chance to compete for The Cup once again.

From the Penguins' perspective, this trade would signify the end of an era; however, the team would be acquiring numerous assets along with two valueable players who would give them an impact that would set them on a course for a rebuild.

The cap hit would also work in their favour, as Samuel Girard's contract carries a $5 million per season cap hit, while Byram's is $3.85 million. Crosby's contract, on the other hand, amounts to $8.7 million, which would cancel out the cap hit. Additionally, with only a couple of years left on Crosby's deal, the Colorado Avalanche would have more cap room after his contract expires.

As stated earlier, it is always enjoyable for fans to dream up trade scenarios and engage in discussions to see if they would make sense or not. I believe Crosby will finish his career in Pittsburgh, especially since he has a full no-trade clause in effect.