Sidney Crosby injury at the Olympics adds real tension to Canadiens trade rumors
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Sam Walker
Feb 18, 2026 (1:59 PM)
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Photo credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Sidney Crosby left Team Canada with a lower-body injury, and the Montreal Canadiens trade rumors suddenly feel less like fun chatter.
For months, Canadiens fans have daydreamed about Crosby in bleu-blanc-rouge, even if the math has always been brutal.
Now the “what if” comes with a limp, not a grin.
Crosby was ruled out in Wednesday’s Olympic quarterfinal after taking a hard hit and not returning.
The report was a lower-body injury, and that detail matters, because lower-body stuff can steal a half-step in a hurry.
For the Pittsburgh Penguins, it’s not just pride on the line, it’s points in the standings and the whole shape of their season.
Crosby has 27-32-59 in the NHL this year, and Pittsburgh leans on his minutes in every situation.
That’s why the trade rumor angle changes fast if this turns into a real absence, not just a scare.
If he’s out longer than expected, the Penguins have to decide whether to protect their playoff push or protect their future.
And if Pittsburgh starts thinking “seller,” the entire league starts dialing, including Montreal.
The Canadiens are 32-17-8, and they’re not begging for hope anymore; they’re trying to cash it in.
That’s where Crosby fits the fantasy, because he’s still a top-six driver who can stabilize a room and a power play.
Sidney Crosby would change the Montreal Canadiens timeline
You can feel the fanbase mood here, equal parts giddy and exhausted, because everyone knows the rumor sounds wild but also weirdly possible in the right chaos.
The injury also hits Team Canada right between the pipes of its identity because Crosby sets the standard shift after shift.
If Canada has to grind without him, that’s fewer high-danger looks created off his puck protection and fewer calm exits under pressure.
For Montreal, the big twist is leverage, because an injured star is harder to price, harder to insure, and harder to sell internally as the final piece.
Cap hit questions do not go away either, since any Crosby deal would need real salary going the other way, plus futures, plus probably retention.
So yes, the dream is still alive, but it’s no longer only about whether Crosby wants it.
It’s also about whether that lower-body injury lets him be Sidney Crosby again when the NHL schedule restarts.
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Juraj Slafkovsky injury at the Olympics scare sends shockwaves through Montreal and Slovakia