Sidney Crosby responds to rumors that he could be traded.

Sidney Crosby traded? 

It sounds like a ridiculous idea, and quite honestly that may be exactly what it is, but there's no denying the fact that talk about the possibility of the Pittsburgh Penguins captain being dealt has picked up considerably since the departure of former Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford.

Although there have been a number of outlets throwing out ideas about what a trade involving Sidney Crosby could look like, the source of the speculation appears to be comments made by National Hockey League insider Darren Dreger this week. Dreger was doing a television hit on TSN's Overdrive over the phone when he indicated that a failure to make the playoffs this season could end up in Crosby playing for a different team.

"If the Pittsburgh Penguins were to miss the playoffs this year I think it's a real tough conversation for Ron Hextall, Brian Burke and Crosby and company in the offseason and it wouldn't shock me at all if Sid said 'Look I want my legacy to be that you collected the pieces, based on moving me,... that are going to really jumpstart a rebuild and make this team a contender in the next 5 years."

Dreger went on to suggest that the New York Rangers and Colorado Avalanche could be a destination for such a move, with Dreger stating that the Avalanche "makes a lot of sense" in his opinion. Although Dreger himself believes the move is possible, it sounds like Sidney Crosby is of a completely different mindset. 

The Penguins captain acknowledged the trade rumors for the very first time this week, indicating that it was something that he was not used to dealing with. In spite of that however Crosby reaffirmed his commitment to the Penguins stating that it was his intent to end his career with the franchise that drafted him into the NHL.

“Nothing's changed," said Crosby. "(Trade rumors) are definitely a new subject I’ve had to deal with and hear about a little bit. I love playing here. This is where I’d love to play for the rest of my career."

To be clear I have no reason to doubt Crosby here, however I suspect that this answer would have be the same regardless of his plans for the future.