Take McDavid off that team and they are nowhere near being a contender.
It’s a 32 team parity league. Winning a cup is hard. It’s also a team achievement. One player can only do so much in hockey. The Edmonton Oilers are nothing close to the teams Crosby had most of his career.
And the Pens are nowhere near a contender without Crosby. What's your point?
Crosby, and Malkin, took a team that had less supporting talent to the Cup in 2009 than both the 2022 Oilers and the 2024 Oilers.
Crosby was unlucky with injuries and the timing of those injuries. He would arguably have had a similar regular season resume as McDavid has after 9 seasons.
Is it fair to give Crosby credit for trophies he didn't win? No
Is is fair to give McDavid credit for Cups he didn't win? No.
We will see how things play out before definitively saying that McDavid does or does not need a Cup to be ranked ahead of Crosby.