Insider Blasts Penguins for Failing Sidney Crosby
Sidney Crosby is having a great season but is being let down by his Pittsburgh Penguins teammates.
PITTSBURGH – It’s been a tough year for the Pittsburgh Penguins as they struggle to keep pace in the playoff race. Players from all over the lineup have underperformed and underachieved to the point that the Penguins sit well outside of a playoff spot with little time left in the season.
One player who has stayed at the top of his game, however, is Sidney Crosby, who, at the age of 36, is still playing at an elite level. With their captain deserving of the Hart Trophy conversation, what has been holding the Penguins back?
According to NHL insider Craig Button, the rest of the Penguins are failing Crosby and his memorable season. Button said on TSN’s The Talking Point that Crosby is doing everything he can, but his teammates are letting him down.
“Absolutely, the Penguins are failing Sidney Crosby,” Button said. “You have a player playing at MVP level. Still, the same superstar he was when he entered the league.”
Button believes the Penguins are beyond the point of repair, even with Crosby fighting back Father Time as much as possible.
“When you look at the Pittsburgh Penguins, they are no longer at a crossroads,” Button said. “They are staring into the abyss… You look at their team; it’s a case of far too many delivering far too little.”
Button acknowledged that good pieces carry their share of the load, but the Penguins have nothing going beyond the top players. Button took note of the Penguins’ back-to-back Stanley Cup wins in 2016 and 2017 as an example of how to build a roster.
“When you go back to their Stanley Cup teams, they had depth everywhere in the lineup,” Button said. “They were hard to play against. No longer the case.”
The Penguins’ chances of making the playoffs this year are slim, but they don't feel like contenders, even if they find a way in. Button is among many who believe the Penguins’ lineup needs a complete overhaul to keep Crosby in the playoff hunt.
“Continuing forward with this lineup isn’t going to get you anywhere,” Button said. “It’s not going to allow Sidney Crosby to compete for another Stanley Cup.”
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