Analysis: Friedman Presses Crosby on Penguins Direction; Sid’s Response

The national media will get a few more opportunities than local media for the type of intimate sitdowns that Sportsnet’s 32 Thoughts Podcast had with Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby this week at the NHL media tour in Las Vegas. While everyone has turned the page on ponderances, wondering or being concerned about Crosby’s contract, the exchange between Sportsnet reporter Elliotte Friedman and Crosby was telling.

Friedman asked the question, and Crosby answered, though perhaps indirectly. Is Sidney Crosby OK with a Penguins rebuild?

“The biggest thing for you is you’re a Penguin. You always wanted to be a Penguin. But I did hear that if there was one thing you were weighing, it’s just that competitive drive that you still have (versus) where the Penguins are. And would you be–I don’t know if OK is the right word–but would you be able to handle things if they didn’t result in playoffs? That’s what I heard your biggest thing was,” Friedman asked.

Fair question.

You can listen to the entire 32 Thoughts podcast here.

It’s what we discussed all summer. Would Crosby be OK with leading a rebuilding team that was a long shot for a playoff berth for the remainder of his career? There wasn’t a single opinion or report from any reputable outlet that Crosby would sign elsewhere. Still, there surely was wondering about accepting a team that most likely needs to reset before contending again.

That’s a bitter pill for one of the greatest players ever and one who has set new standards in terms of work ethic and competitive drive. Perhaps no player has ever worked harder.

Crosby brushed aside those concerns that he might bristle at a losing team, though he may have done so with a bit of denial.

“I wouldn’t say that. I think it’s so hard to make (the playoffs). There are lots of teams that go into a season and expect to make it, but they don’t. I think that the biggest thing, when I think about our team, is just our culture,” Crosby began. “The expectation to win has been there every year regardless of whether we won the Cup the year before or (are) a young team. There’s been so many different situations we’ve been in going into seasons.

“I really enjoy the expectation too. And I think that that’s something that pushes all of us. And, you know, for the guys that have been there for a number of years, (Evgeni Malkin), (Kris Letang), that’s something that we’re proud of. You know, we want to go into a season with that expectation (to win), regardless of what moves are made or what the team looks like.”

Make no mistake, Crosby was in a foul mood last season as the losses piled up, and president of hockey operations/GM Kyle Dubas traded trusted cohort Jake Guentzel. That tense atmosphere became fuel for the best hockey the Penguins had played in two seasons, but it still wasn’t enough to overcome the Mponeng gold mine size they had already dug.

Read more: Penguins Blog: Revisiting Malkin, Letang Contracts; The Real Mistake.

(Mponeng is the deepest mine in the world, located outside Johannesburg, South Africa).

Over the offseason, Penguins president of hockey operations/GM Kyle Dubas added promising prospect Rutger McGroarty. However, he also added reclamation projects for Cody Glass, Kevin Hayes, Anthony Beauvillier, and Matt Grzelcyck. All have one or two years remaining on their contract.

So, the question was asked and answered, kind of.

What we can glean from the answer is that the core three has full faith in itself to get the team to the playoffs, no matter who is around them. They don’t see themselves as 37 and 38-year-olds but as players worthy of expectations.

Whether or not they are right and how that will impact Crosby’s future and longevity remains to be seen.