Sidney Crosby's Penguins future after Mike Sullivan firing addressed in one word by GM Kyle Dubas

The longest-tenured head coach of Sidney Crosby's NHL career was shockingly let go by the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday morning.

Following his 10th season with the team, general manager Kyle Dubas announced that the Penguins were parting ways with Mike Sullivan.

The 57-year-old led Pittsburgh to back-to-back Stanley Cup Championships during his first two years behind the bench in 2016 and 2017. However, the team earned just one playoff series victory over the next eight seasons, capping off a disappointing finish to his time as the Penguins' head coach.

After such a bold move, everyone begins to wonder what the captain and face of the franchise for the last 20 years is thinking. So, of course, Dubas was asked whether he's concerned that Sidney Crosby will want to leave the organization due to his close relationship with Mike Sullivan. His response was short and sweet. The Pittsburgh Penguins shared the full press conference on YouTube.

"No," Dubas said (33:15).

Sidney Crosby's two-year, $17,400,000 contract extension signed with the Penguins in September kicks in to start the 2025-26 campaign. He will continue to earn his infamous $8.7 million average annual salary on the new deal.

Kyle Dubas spoke about his conversation with Sidney Crosby prior to the coaching change

Kyle Dubas was further pressed about Sidney Crosby's feelings on the move as he answered questions during his media availability on Monday afternoon.

B/R Open Ice shared Dubas' response on X (formerly Twitter).

"I called Sid yesterday morning before I met with Sully to give him the heads-up. He's been through it before. But in terms of how he feels about it, I had a five-minute conversation with him before about the fact that we were going through this to make a change.... I have to do what I think is best for the organization," Dubas said.

At 37 years old, Crosby had another tremendous season, piling up 91 points (33 goals, 58 assists) in 80 games. He finished 10th in the NHL in regular-season point scoring, further demonstrating that he remains one of the best players in the league.

However, he's extremely competitive and wants to win more than anything else. So it's now up to Kyle Dubas to provide Sidney Crosby with more help in order to bring the Penguins back into contention. It all shapes up to be a very interesting offseason in Pittsburgh.