The latest round of speculation started after the Hurricanes acquired Mikko Rantanen in a blockbuster trade on Friday, fueling "baseless rumors," as labeled by The Athletic's Josh Yohe, that the Avalanche might be positioning themselves to acquire Crosby.

As expected, Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sidney Crosby was named as captain of Canada’s entry into the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off event. Crosby is the NHL’s longest tenured active captain, having served in that role for the Penguins since 2007.

Sidney Crosby scored in overtime to cap a two-point game as the Pittsburgh Penguins earned a 3-2 victory over the Utah Hockey Club on Wednesday in Salt Lake City.

Marcus Pettersson and Erik Karlsson scored in regulation as Pittsburgh snapped a three-game losing streak. Alex Nedeljkovic made 27 saves.

Hockey Canada announced Thursday that Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby will serve as Canada’s captain for the 4 Nations Face-Off. Assistant captains will be Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid and Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar.

Following Friday night’s blockbuster trade that sent star forward Mikko Rantanen from the Colorado Avalanche to the Carolina Hurricanes, Pittsburgh Penguins beat writer Josh Yohe felt the need to debunk the recent trade rumors swirling around captain Sidney Crosby.

While Sidney Crosby agreed to a two-year contract extension in September that included a full no-trade clause and could keep him with the Pittsburgh Penguins through at least the 2026-27 NHL season, the struggles the Penguins have endured from October through Monday's 2-1 loss to the lowly San Jose Sharks (15-32-6) resulted in Crosby being the subject of trade rumors for the second consecutive winter.