NHL insider weighs in on key aspect that could influence Sidney Crosby's future with Pittsburgh Penguins ahead of trade deadline

Sidney Crosby has been the subject of trade rumors all season long. The Pittsburgh Penguins are eight points out of a Wild Card berth and have been out of it for a long time, which prompted trade rumors for everyone.

That includes Crosby, who's only played with the Penguins throughout his entire career. Despite that, those rumors have persisted all the way to the trade deadline this month.

That said, NHL insider Darren Dreger believes there's one reason the Penguins aren't trading Crosby. He said on First Up (1:50) that he's very hesitant to predict a blockbuster trade of a franchise icon:

"Pittsburgh has one more game, which is tomorrow, before the deadline. It feels to me like Sid would; he would plan out some form of March, a proper farewell, goodbye to the fan base of Pittsburgh.

"I don't think he's blind-sighting this organization or the fan base. I really, really don't, just to clear up the mess."

If Crosby was leaving to join a contender this year, Dreger thinks the team would have it done and announced before the next game, that way he can say goodbye to his longtime team and fans. Otherwise, it would be a shock and a disappointment to a devoted fan base.

He's been with them for 20 seasons, and they love him in the organization and in the fan base. Not only would it be a major shock to their system, but a trade would be heartbreaking. Dreger believes the Penguins respect their fan base too much to truly blindside them with this.

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Sidney Crosby inches closer to major milestone

Sidney Crosby is not having the historic season like his longtime rival Alex Ovechkin is. Ovechkin is chasing down the NHL's all-time goals record this year. Crosby, however, is chasing down his own major milestone.

Should Crosby record 16 more points this season, he would, for the 20th time in his career, have at least as many points scored as games played. He can play 80 games at most this year, and he's currently at 64 points.

Should he finish at or beyond 80 points in 80 games, he'd dethrone Wayne Gretzky in his own way. This would be applicable regardless of if he is traded or not.

Sidney Crosby is nearing an NHL record (Imagn)

Crosby, in pursuit of that record, just passed Gordie Howe for the 10th-most assists in NHL history. Crosby now has 1,050 assists, more than 200 more than the next active player with the second-most: Patrick Kane.