The Pittsburgh Penguins wouldn't be anywhere near the same team if it where not for Sidney Crosby.

It’s not hard to see that the Pittsburgh Penguins would be a vastly inferior team if it wasn’t for the presence of Sidney Crosby.

At the age of 35, Crosby entered the 2022-23 season hungrier than ever to not only reach the playoffs, but bring the Penguins another Stanley Cup.

While both of those targets seem like longshots, Crosby has proven he should still be looked at as one of the best players in the NHL.

Without missing a game this season, Crosby has recorded 31 goals and 54 assists to lead the Penguins with 85 points.

Given there has been no production from anywhere other than the Penguins’ top-six, Crosby is basically singlehandedly carrying this team into the playoffs.

The Hart Trophy is given to the player 'most valuable to their team,' and there is no doubt Crosby changes the entire complexity of the Penguins.

In a normal year, you could say Crosby should be firmly in the running to win the Hart Trophy as the NHL MVP, but Connor McDavid is having a season that is beyond words.

McDavid is leading the NHL with an absurd 144 points, pacing the NHL with 61 goals and 83 assists.

Those numbers are staggering and McDavid is a lock for the MVP, but that doesn’t mean Crosby shouldn’t be a finalist.

The NHL likes to give three nominees for every award, and in this year’s Hart Trophy running, Crosby is deserving of a spot.

Every year, without fail, Crosby shows that you can never count him, or the Penguins out.

With seven games remaining, if Crosby is able to kick his scoreless streak and close out the season by surpassing 90-point plateau, he should be in a real running.

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