Laraque Stirs More Crosby Trade Talk; MacKinnon Slams the Door

Over the past week, the Montreal press has pursued potential Sidney Crosby trade talk. First, former teammates Marc-Andre Fleury and Max Talbot were asked at a golf outing if Crosby would finish his career with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Fleury candidly admitted he hoped Crosby would chase another Stanley Cup and that things didn’t look good for the Penguins, but stopped there. Talbot offered a similar shrug-worthy answer. However, that hasn’t stopped sports networks and social media from trying to will it into existence.

Then, Friday evening, as the hockey world turned its gaze to the NHL Draft in Los Angeles and what would become something of a trainwreck broadcast on ESPN, former Penguins tough guy Georges Laraque stirred the internet with a short tweet.

I’m hearing there’s a very good chance that Crosby will play somewhere else…

— Georges Laraque (@GeorgesLaraque) June 27, 2025

And the Crosby trade rumors were off and running again.

However, Crosby’s Tim Horton’s commercial partner and close friend, Nathan MacKinnon, who probably has more reason than anyone to hope for a trade, stomped on the idea that Crosby would leave the Penguins.

As hockey’s biggest podcast, Spittin’ Chiclets, posted the tweet on their Instagram account, MacKinnon used two words that have become lexicon in the last 10 years. Note the top comment: “Fake News.”

Pittsburgh Penguins Sidney Crosby trade rumors, Nathan MacKinnon shuts them down

When PHN sheepishly asked Penguins GM Kyle Dubas about the Crosby noise coming out of Montreal, Dubas was also a little bit at a loss for words. Primarily because he was intently focused on smaller things, such as the NHL Draft and rebuilding a franchise that made the playoffs for 16 consecutive seasons, Dubas politely demurred from discussing specifics, but dismissed them with a bit of a laugh.

“I mean, obviously our focus here is deep. So I’m not sure if (Crosby’s agent Pat Brisson) has commented or whoever has commented about it. There’s no change at all to anything from our perspective,” Dubas said. “You know, everything that we’re doing is about bringing the team back to being a contending team. And we hope to do that while Sid is a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

So, that’s really all I can offer. I’m sorry. My focus has been on picking players and not random former players’ views on matters, but that’s okay, I get it, I get it.”

Dubas concluded with a little chuckle, and that’s all … until the next time.