Connor McDavid is entering the final year of his contract with the Edmonton Oilers.
His current team still has to be considered the favorite to bring him back.
But the longer negotiations drag on, the more speculation will exist about a possible departure.
Bleacher Report recently published a list of possible McDavid destinations, and the Pittsburgh Penguins made the list.
Here’s the B/R logic for a potential deal:
Mario Lemieux. Jaromir Jagr. Sidney Crosby. Evgeni Malkin.
Having the best players in the NHL is pretty much the Pittsburgh Penguins’ calling card. Star power is in their DNA and has been for the past 40 years.
Why not continue that legacy?
Yes, the Penguins are in the early stages of a rebuild. They might not be particularly good during the 2025-26 season, and they might end up playing their way into the top of the draft lottery. Even with that being the case, general manager Kyle Dubas still seems adamant about competing again while Sidney Crosby is still playing.
The Penguins have a rapidly improving farm system that’s only going to get stronger with their collection of draft picks over the next few years. Malkin is not likely to be back next season, and they are going to be swimming in salary-cap space over the next few years, especially if they move Erik Karlsson this offseason.
Imagine Crosby and McDavid on the same team for a few years before McDavid takes the torch and usher in a new chapter for the Penguins. The Penguins winning the Gavin McKenna lottery and having it play out that way is the more likely scenario, and it would track with the way the Penguins have acquired their previous collection of superstars, but this idea would be fun as well.
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There would be something wonderfully fitting about a Crosby-McDavid partnership.
From one top Canadian player of his generation to the next, it’d feel almost like a passing of the torch.
Along with the logic above, the Penguins would certainly have to look this season like they’re a team truly on the upswing. If not, there’d be no chance McDavid risks his prime there.
But the Penguins would, just like most other teams, give him a record-setting contract. Money won’t be the object. It’ll be all about fit.
And McDavid with Crosby would certainly form a very cool fit.
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