Elliotte Friedman suggests it’s going to be a long summer for Sidney Crosby, who just agreed to go to the World Championships for Team Canada and will be joined by his close friend Nathan MacKinnon. The NHL insider reports that after a disappointing loss by the Colorado Avalanche to the Dallas Stars, a distraught and frustrated MacKinnon will do everything in his power to convince Crosby he should join him in Colorado.
During the most recent episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast, Friedman asked co-host Kyle Bukauskas who everyone should feel the most sorry for after Avalanche collapsed in Game 7. After a couple of incorrect guesses, Friedman answered his own question and said “Sidney Crosby”.
“… you know why? Because we found out Sunday he’s going to play for Canada at the world Championships,, and so is MacKinnon and you don’t think MacKinnon’s going to be all over Crosby about , ‘Hey, the NHL needs you in the playoffs. Pittsburgh just made a coaching change because Kyle Dubas and Mike Sullivan disagreed on the path from here. Sullivan wants to win sooner, Dubas sees more of a rebuild.'”
Friedman added that McKinnon is going to be hounding Crosby and painting a bleak picture of him staying in Pittsburgh during the rebuild, which means Crosby will miss more years in the playoffs. ‘Why don’t you come to Colorado play with me and we rule the league from the Western Conference?’
Friedman added, “and when he isn’t going to be saying it he’s just going to be staring at Crosby burning holes in his head and Crosby’s going to know he’s just looking at me thinking we should be in Colorado together.”
Friedman then noted that if convincing Crosby at the World Championships doesn’t work, MacKinnon can go to work on Crosby when the two go back to Nova Scotia for the rest of the summer. It’s going to be a “long summer for McKinnon to work Crosby.”
Friedman Wasn’t Joking Either
Some might hear these comments and laugh them off, but Friedman said that he wasn’t even saying it as a joke. He believes MacKinnon is going to think about this the entire offseason. “All summer it’s going to be on his mind.”
Can Crosby be convinced? From everything he’s said, the answer seems to be no. However, with a rebuild potentially around the corner and long-time coach Mike Sullivan now with the New York Rangers, what is keeping Crosby in Pittsburgh other than loyalty?
This article first appeared on NHL Trade Talk and was syndicated with permission.
