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.

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.

Pittsburgh Penguins beat writer Josh Yohe voiced his frustration regarding the ongoing trade speculation surrounding Sidney Crosby, fueled by the Spittin' Chiclets podcast duo of Ryan Whitney and Paul