NHL Trade Rumors: Analyst Proposes 6 Potential Sidney Crosby Destinations

As last season came to an end, it sure sounded like Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins would be working out a new extension this summer before the captain heads into the final campaign of his 12-year deal this coming season.

But here we are in September, and it's been crickets out of Pittsburgh on the Crosby front.

Some around town are starting to get nervous, though it still seems inevitable that a deal will be worked out. Penguins insider Rob Rossi said, ahead of the August break, “All parties were comfortable enough with where the contract negotiations stood. Everybody felt comfortable going about summer plans such as taking holidays and enjoying a bit of downtime.”

But what if Crosby doesn't re-up with the Penguins?

Travis Yost of TSN has taken this radio silence out of Pittsburgh to ponder where Crosby might land, IF the Penguins were to trade him either now or before the trade deadline in March. He came up with six potential destinations, which we present here in alphabetical order:

Colorado Avalanche
Dallas Stars
Detroit Red Wings
Montreal Canadiens
Vegas Golden Knights
Winnipeg Jets

Yost claims that the three Central Division teams (Colorado Dallas, & Winnipeg) are all one Crosby-type leader away from making a serious Cup run. And each of them, he says, have the flexibility to make a deal work.

Montreal would be an intriguing spot. A marquee franchise with as rich a history as there is in the NHL. And plugging a "relative weakness" at center, Yost says, could instantly give the Habs a five-win boost in the standings.

The Red Wings haven't been shy about adding veterans on the other side of 30 this offseason, and they, too, could take a huge step towards serious contention by adding Sid the Kid.

And of course, anytime there's a big splashy name out there, the Vegas Golden Knights can't be far behind. They don't have the cap space at the present time to make a deal work, but never put it past them to figure out how to be a factor in a big trade like that come the deadline.