Given that the trade deadline is fast approaching this week, it was only natural for the rumors to start flying. And this time? Well, it is spinning around, and none other than Sidney Crosby. A couple of months ago, a blockbuster, change-the-league type of trade occurred, which saw Carolina acquire Mikko Rantanen from the Avalanche, and Taylor Hall from the Blackhawks in a three-way trade. At the same time, Colorado acquired Martin Necas and Jack Drury, and Chicago received a third-round pick and retained 50% of Rantanen’s $9.25M cap hit. Thus, there are a lot of things going on and, of course, people began to draw parallels.

With Colorado making big moves and clearing some space, fans started dreaming (again) about that possibility—Sid the Kid rocking an Avalanche jersey alongside his longtime buddy, Nathan MacKinnon. The thought of Sidney Crosby making magic in Denver sent the hockey world into a frenzy. However, before the imaginations ran rampant, the Penguins captain came in and quickly addressed it to avoid further misconceptions. Looks like those trade whispers might just stay whispers after all!

Aarif Deen, the go-to guy for all things #Avs over at @colhockeynow, hopped on X on March 4 to drop a little trade tea. And let’s just say, Penguins fans might wanna take a deep breath. He shared, “Crosby was asked if he’s aware of how many people in Denver would love to see him and MacK play together after 4 Nations.” And Sid? Cool as ever, shutting down the frenzy with a simple, “I’m sure there’s a lot of hypotheticals out there,” before wrapping up his presser.

But wait—just when you thought that was the end of it, Penguins PR slid in with the ultimate mic-drop moment: “You’ll see them together again at the Olympics!” Boom. Just like that, the dream of a Crosby-MacK reunion lives on… just not in an Avalanche jersey.

Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon? Now that’s a duo straight out of a hockey fairytale. Most times, they’re battling it out on opposite sides of the ice, but off the rink? They’re more like hockey brothers. Even though both of them are from Nova Scotia, they are both first-round draft picks and both are gifted players who mostly play in the center. Their bond has been built from training together in the preseason to challenging each other to the limits. And when the 4 Nations Face-Off came? They finally got to team up instead of face off.

MacKinnon has great admiration for Crosby and he has referred to him as a competitor extraordinaire. “He’s accomplished everything there is to accomplish, but he’s still hungry for more, which is pretty cool,” MacKinnon once said of him. From Cole Harbour to the big leagues, these two have always been destined for greatness—whether as rivals or, when the hockey gods allow, as the ultimate dynamic duo.

When it comes to Sidney Crosby, a sudden trade? Yeah, that’s just not his style—or Pittsburgh’s. Even NHL insider Darren Dreger weighed in on First Up, making it clear that a last-minute move wouldn’t fit Crosby’s playbook. “Pittsburgh has one more game, which is (on Tuesday), before the deadline,” Dreger pointed out.

“It feels to me like Sid would … he would plan out some form of March, a proper farewell, goodbye to the fan base of Pittsburgh.” Translation? If Crosby ever waves goodbye, it won’t be in a whirlwind trade—it’ll be on his terms, with the kind of send-off a legend deserves. And even Sidney himself has cleared the air on it before.

Sidney Crosby had shut down rumors before!

Sidney Crosby’s name continues to appear in the trade rumor mill and yes, a lot of it has to do with his longtime friend Nathan MacKinnon. But let’s not exclude the Penguins here–perhaps, they were not very eager to tie up Sid for the long term at this point of his career. Perhaps they thought they could trade their beloved captain for some new and more modern player. Still, nothing is written in stone, but the rumors started to intensify after that swap involving three players in January. And well, Crosby wasn’t having any of it.

When the rumor mill started spinning—thanks to Carolina snagging Mikko Rantanen—Crosby slammed the lid on it. “I know how speculation works; everybody’s looking to talk about different things, different scenarios,” he said to Taylor Haase. “I can’t control that. I don’t know where that comes from… I’m not going to answer it every time that happens.” While people like Elliotte Friedman have not closed the door on it, Crosby made it quite clear that he only has his eyes set on Pittsburgh and not on hypothetical trades. And let’s be real—if he ever did make a move, it wouldn’t be mid-season chaos; it’d be on his terms, with a proper send-off.

Even though the Penguins have not been doing very well this season, the player is not thinking of an escape route. He is still the top scorer in the team and is focusing his efforts on reversing the situation. “It’s more than just the losses; it’s all the stuff that comes with it,” he admitted but emphasized that his loyalty remains unshaken. Having recently signed a two-year, $17.4 million extension, he upped the ante even more. “I’ve said I’m going to always be here… I’ve been very upfront about it—I’m a Pittsburgh Penguin.” So, for now, all that Colorado chatter? Just noise in the wind.