Insider Projects Canadiens' Potential Trade Package In Sidney Crosby Bid

Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins center

The rumors have been on and off since the end of last season. If Sidney Crosby ever decided that he wanted out of Pittsburgh, his boyhood favorite team, the Montreal Canadiens have been posited as a likely landing spot.

Now top Habs insider Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports has even gone so far as to say 'It's Certain It's Going to Happen'. He appeared on the Real Kyper & Bourne show on Sportsnet recently to talk about the team's need for a second-line center, and how Crosby would be the ultimate addition (though he adds that Nick Suzuki would probably be happy to cede his 1C role to Crosby).

If at one point Sidney wants to leave the Pittsburgh Penguins and just says, 'You know what, I want to go win another Stanley Cup,' I think the Montreal Canadiens need to be ready for it. So they need some cap space. They need to make sure that they're not going to be handcuffed.

The dealing of the Carey Price contract this past summer was a big step in that direction. They currently have over $5 million in cap space, but would need to find a little more to fit Crosby and his $8.7 million cap hit.

Then Lavoie speculated on just what it would take for Montreal to land the legendary Sid The Kid.

The Penguins would probably look at the Canadiens' D-corps. Could it be a David Reinbacher? Can it be someone else on the roster? An Oliver Kapanen... I believe you'd have to throw (draft) picks, and probably a couple of reallly good young players. You're not going to jeopardize the future of your franchise by giving up five pieces.

He then ruled out three players who he says would be off-limits, telling us not to expect Juraj Slafkovsky, Cole Caufield, or Kaiden Guhle to be traded.

Lavoie made a point that if Montreal was Crosby's prefered destination, the Penguins would kind of have their hands tied, giving the Habs a bit of an upper-hand in any negotiations.

But all of that is a long way off. For now, the Penguins have started the season with a 4-2-0 record. Of course, no one is silly enough to believe that will last. But any Crosby decision on wanting to move on is many months away at this point. The Habs will remain patient.