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.

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.

After Keller recovered the puck for Utah's first possession in overtime, it took only seconds before Utah got its only goal shot of the period. With Utah's Barrett Hayton slapping the ice to call for the puck, Sergachev passed to Hayton right in front of Penguins goalie Alex Nedeljkovic.

Crosby signed a two-year extension last September. He has repeatedly said he plans to only play for the Penguins. He has a full no-trade clause. Fenway Sports Group, which owns the Penguins, wants him to be part of the organization for the rest of his life.

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.