Sidney Crosby has witnessed a lot in his nearly 20 years in the NHL, including championships, scoring titles, and MVPs.
However, the longtime Pittsburgh Penguins captain is now seeing his team likely playing the role of spoiler as the familiar faces he’s relied on for so long are disappearing one by one.
“It’s definitely a new experience,” Crosby said Thursday night after a lackluster 6-0 home loss to Washington.
While Crosby was talking, Jake Guentzel’s nameplate was still above the stall next to Crosby’s in Pittsburgh’s dressing room. By Friday morning, it was gone.
Guentzel was also gone.
The franchise’s ninth all-time leading goal scorer was traded to Metropolitan Division rival Carolina overnight in exchange for forward Michael Bunting and a few prospects as Penguins general manager/director of hockey operations Kyle Dubas moved the focus from trying to help the NHL’s oldest roster make one last postseason run to a long overdue youth movement.
When asked if there’s a chance Pittsburgh could somehow challenge for a playoff spot without one of the last remaining members of the group that won the franchise’s fifth Stanley Cup in 2018, Crosby shrugged.
“I hope,” Crosby said. “I mean, that would be great.”
Crosby’s words were optimistic, but his tone was not. This is the outcome of spending almost 20 years chasing his sport’s biggest prize.
One of the most competitive players in the league is having one of the best seasons by a 36-year-old in NHL history. Yet his 32 goals and trademark relentlessness haven’t been enough to overcome an ineffective power play and a roster that struggles to do the one thing that has defined the Penguins for so long: score goals.
Six months after expressing confidence that his team could prove the doubters wrong, Dubas finds himself trying to rebuild around his franchise icons without going through a complete collapse.
To do this, he’ll need support from Crosby, Malkin and Kris Letang. Crosby, who is eligible for an extension this summer, has no intention of asking for a chance to move on. The same goes for Letang, who has four years left on his deal, and Malkin, nearing the halfway point of the four-year contract he signed in the summer of 2022.
“I want to stay here, you know?” Malkin said Friday. “If I wanted to change teams, I probably would have changed two years ago. Again, this is my home, second home, you know? Any situation, I’m most happy here. I’ve had injuries. Now, it’s a tough situation. I want to be here.”
The immediate challenge, however, will be finding the energy to put up a fight during a tough closing stretch that begins with back-to-back games over the weekend against Boston and Edmonton.
The Penguins did not seem engaged against Washington, perhaps distracted with the trade talks around Guentzel heating up. Letang criticized his team's lack of energy and passion, saying they did not show up as a group.
It is rare for Pittsburgh to be in this situation. Before this season, the team had only missed the playoffs once since 2006, and that was in last year’s final regular-season game against Columbus.
This time, the team, which has always been focused on winning while Crosby has been playing, is facing a tough situation.
There are still 21 games left in the season. But the recent unimpressive win against Columbus and the lackluster performance against the Capitals suggest that the team is ready for the season to be over.
Malkin admitted that something needs to change the mood in the locker room, and winning would help. But the team has been struggling to win for the past month, which is one of the main reasons for the controversial decision made by Dubas.
Dubas mentioned that it can be a lonely and difficult journey, and many people may be unhappy with the decisions being made.
This is part of the job. Dealing with a beloved teammate being elsewhere and still having a quarter of the season remaining.
It will be a tough challenge. Crosby and Letang were silent on Friday, and Malkin tried to sound positive, possibly following forward Bryan Rust’s suggestion to pretend things are going well in order to turn things around.
Malkin suggested that having a couple of new players might bring energy to the team. He also feels that with the trade deadline passed, the team might feel less pressure and play better. Despite the odds, they still believe they have a chance to make the playoffs.
Even if they know they might be the only ones.
