The Sidney Crosby to Colorado Avalanche “dream” will not happen

Some debated whether or not the Colorado Avalanche should go after Pittsburgh Penguins legend Sidney Crosby if given the opportunity. The window to make that happen has been shut. The Penguins re-signed Crosby to a two-year extension, and once that contract is up, Crosby will be 40-years-old.

Though Crosby has been ultra consistent throughout his career, which began when he was drafted first overall in the 2005 NHL Draft by Pittsburgh, it would make a great deal of sense for the Colorado Avalanche to go a younger route, some players who the team feels have untapped potential.

Or, perhaps, maybe the team will find out in the next year or two if they found a superstar.

Guys such as Calum Ritchie and Mikhail Gulyayev come to mind. Of course, Gulyayev is a defenseman, but it still applies. The Colorado Avalanche love to get their defenders in on the scoring. They’ve got the best defensive player in all of hockey in Cale Makar, who is the ultimate performer.

The Avalanche are also set, or are close to being set, with their key pieces. Nathan MacKinnon is extended. Makar is signed through the 2026-27 season. Mikko Rantanen is going to get a hefty paycheque in the very near future.

The move to not go after Crosby also shows that the Avalanche are happy with their second line center Casey Mittelstadt. Of course, that was evident by the team re-signing him. Mittelstadt is also only in his mid-20’s, and that is a great reason to keep him around instead of the alternative of trading for Crosby.

The hope is that Mittelstadt has not reached his ceiling and can contribute to the Colorado Avalanche even more than he did last season, when he played in just 18 games and recording four goals and six assists. That production just won’t cut it, but it should be a sure thing that Mittelstadt will play in a lot more than 18 games in 2024-25.

At the end of the day, some fans wanted Crosby. Heck, I’m sure there was even a part of MacKinnon who still possibly had hope that #87 would join him in Colorado. That just won’t be happening, after all.