With the Toronto Maple Leafs opening a new chapter under head coach Craig Berube and the Pittsburgh Penguins approaching the end of the Sidney Crosby era, there may be a way the two franchises can help each other improve their futures.
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In the eyes of TSN’s OverDrive host Bryan Hayes, that could come with two bold moves completed by both front offices in the summer of 2025. Hayes shared his idea by appearing on the show on July 3, one dependent on Crosby reaching free agency.
“If (Crosby) is going to wait it out, play his final year, and hit free agency next year, the Toronto Maple Leafs—it doesn’t get bigger than that in the hockey world,” Hayes said. “Maybe the greatest Canadian captain of all time, or real close to it, with Wayne Gretzky, with Mark Messier, with Mario Lemieux.
“One of the great winners of all time. Golden goal in 2010. Come home, come to Canada, end the Canadian Cup drought as a Maple Leaf. [John] Tavares leaves, Sid comes in. It all works out for everybody.”
Crosby is under contract with the Penguins for one more season. He last signed a 12-year, $104.4 million deal with the Penguins in 2013 that runs through the 2024-25 season. After that, however, he will become an unrestricted free agent.
Tavares, the other key piece in this puzzle, is also entering the final season of a seven-year, $77 million contract signed in 2018 with the Maple Leafs.
Assuming both players go to market, Hayes believes there is no better option for the Leafs and Crosby than to start a late-career relationship together.Toronto could sign the legendary center to use him in the role that Tavares would leave open after his contract runs out in July 2025.
Is Sidney Crosby On His Way Out of Pittsburgh?
Nothing happens until it happens. Just a few days ahead of the 2024 free agency period, there were some whispers about Tampa Bay Lightning‘s captain Steven Stamkos probably leaving the only franchise he had ever played for.
It was nearly impossible to believe, but when July 1 hit Stamkos became the newest member of the Nashville Predators.
Is Crosby going to experience the same fate as Stamkos? According to Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now, everything points in that direction.
“There are lingering and significant questions without definitive answers. Yet the circumstantial evidence is piling up, and arrows are beginning to point to a full-scale rebuild, not a retool on the fly, for the Pittsburgh Penguins beginning within the next 12 months,” Kingerski wrote. “For starters, it’s July 3. Where is the new contract for Sidney Crosby?
“Clearly, issues are being discussed, and after two months of communication between the two sides, they are not settled. Both Penguins president of hockey operations/GM Kyle Dubas and Crosby have specifically stated that the conversations and negotiations will be private. That’s fine, but notice that neither side has yet used the phrase ‘optimistic.'”
“We’re talking,” Crosby told reporters. “I’ll leave it at that.”
Crosby will play hockey at age 37 during the final year of his contract with Pittsburgh carrying a cap hit of $8.7 million. The center scored 94 points (42 goals, 52 assists) in the 2024 campaign, but he couldn’t get the Penguins to the postseason.
Will John Tavares Get Stripped of the Maple Leafs’ Captaincy?
While Mitch Marner has grabbed most of the Maple Leasf’s headlines, Toronto’s captain John Tavares has made it there lately.
The Leafs signed Tavares to a massive deal in 2018 and just one year after he put pen to paper, in October 2019, the franchise gave him the “C” as the captain of Toronto’s team.
The days of Tavares as the captain might be number, or at least that’s what NHL insider and former franchise player Nick Kypreos believes could happen, as he explained on July 1 when speaking on Sportsnet’s Real Kyper & Bourne show.
“From what I’m hearing, the Leafs are contemplating taking the captaincy away from him and giving it to Auston (Matthews),” Kypreos said. “They will talk about it. I’m not saying it’s going to happen, but it’s real.”
Tavares scored 29 goals and 36 assists for 65 total points in the 2024 season. He could only add 1 goal and 1 assist in seven postseason games, crashing out of the playoffs early once again.
Speaking one day after Kypreos first reported the rumblings about Toronto’s potential change of captain, The Athletic’s James Mirtle was asked about it and shared similar thoughts on The JD Bunkis Show on July 2.
"Matthews wants it and he's the face of the franchise... I think it's time to turn the page, it hasn't really worked out with Tavares as captain."@mirtle on who should wear the 'C' in Toronto next season with @JDBunkis.#LeafsForever
— Sportsnet 590 The FAN (@FAN590) July 2, 2024
🎧 https://t.co/ET2culOpbD pic.twitter.com/YyNjsTDv4V
“It doesn’t surprise me,” Mirtle said about Kypreos’ report. “I have not heard that coming from within the organization, but at some point, they’re going to want to give it to Matthews. So the question is, do they do it this fall, or do they wait another year to when Tavares’ contract is up and then do it?
“But it’s going to happen, and you know Matthews wants it. He’s the face of the franchise, and you’re trying to keep him.”
