Which of the following scenarios would be best for Crosby’s career in 2024-25?

[TheGuiminator]

Inspired by the Mulletman, who created a thread about different hypothetical scenarios that would be the best for McDavid’s career, I thought I’d do the same for Crosby. That being said, which scenario would elevate Crosby’s career the most in 2024-25?

Option 1: Crosby has the worst start to a season of his career, with 10 points in his first 30 games, and the Penguins are last in the league. Coach Sullivan is fired halfway through the season. Crosby then goes on a tear, putting up 60 points in the next 45 games, finishing the season with 70 points in 75 games. Although his point-per-game season streak is over, the Penguins somehow manage to make the playoffs. Crosby has the best playoff run of his career, scoring 20 goals and 20 assists for 40 points in 25 games. He puts up 5 goals and 5 assists in 6 games during the SCF, leading his team to a fourth Stanley Cup and earning his third Conn Smythe in dominant fashion.

Option 2: Crosby has an MVP season at 37 y/o, leading a mediocre Penguins team to the playoffs. He scores 50 goals and 65 assists for 115 points, winning the Hart and Ted Lindsay trophies. He finishes 3rd in points behind MacKinnon and McDavid. The Penguins are eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Leafs in 4 games. Crosby has the worst series of his career, recording no points and a -10.

Option 3: Crosby can’t stop scoring as he wins his 3rd Rocket Richard Trophy with a new career-high of 60 goals and 105 points, good for 5th in the league, and is a Hart finalist. His well-rounded game also earns him the Selke Trophy for his defensive efforts. Penguins make the playoffs but are eliminated in the second round. Crosby has an excellent run, putting up 22 points in 14 games.

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[Nadal On Clay]

Option 1 all day long, followed by option 3 and option 2. 3 Smythe puts him in the top tier of playoff performers of all time. He would be up there with Gretzky and Roy as a top 3 playoff performer ever.

 

[Stive Morgan]

1, 3, 2 in that order

 

[Midnight Judges]

These are some hilarious fantasies.

 

[Took a pill in Sbisa]

is this question a joke

 

[Xspyrit]

Why make this copy cat thread when the players aren’t even in the same tier…

 

[Video Nasty]

 

[centipede2233]

I read option 1, and voted option 1 without reading the other 2 options. 4 Stanley cups and more importantly 3 conn smythes puts him and Roy as the only 3 conn smythe winners.

It’s funny, all 3 scenarios see the pens make the playoffs. And the one scenario where they lose in the first rd, it’s in 4 games to the leafs. Conclusion, none of these scenarios are ever happening lol

 

[Gurglesons]

2. Hart at 37.

 

[bobholly39]

Why make this copy cat thread when the players aren’t even in the same tier…

They're not? I think they are. Why don't you start a separate poll to find out.

 

[Three On Zero]

The guys already cemented himself as the best since Lemieux, I don’t think he really needs to do much next season

 

[bobholly39]

Inspired by the Mulletman, who created a thread about different hypothetical scenarios that would be the best for McDavid’s career, I thought I’d do the same for Crosby. That being said, which scenario would elevate Crosby’s career the most in 2024-25?

Option 1: Crosby has the worst start to a season of his career, with 10 points in his first 30 games, and the Penguins are last in the league. Coach Sullivan is fired halfway through the season. Crosby then goes on a tear, putting up 60 points in the next 45 games, finishing the season with 70 points in 75 games. Although his point-per-game season streak is over, the Penguins somehow manage to make the playoffs. Crosby has the best playoff run of his career, scoring 20 goals and 20 assists for 40 points in 25 games. He puts up 5 goals and 5 assists in 6 games during the SCF, leading his team to a fourth Stanley Cup and earning his third Conn Smythe in dominant fashion.

Option 2: Crosby has an MVP season at 37 y/o, leading a mediocre Penguins team to the playoffs. He scores 50 goals and 65 assists for 115 points, winning the Hart and Ted Lindsay trophies. He finishes 3rd in points behind MacKinnon and McDavid. The Penguins are eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Leafs in 4 games. Crosby has the worst series of his career, recording no points and a -10.

Option 3: Crosby can’t stop scoring as he wins his 3rd Rocket Richard Trophy with a new career-high of 60 goals and 105 points, good for 5th in the league, and is a Hart finalist. His well-rounded game also earns him the Selke Trophy for his defensive efforts. Penguins make the playoffs but are eliminated in the second round. Crosby has an excellent run, putting up 22 points in 14 games.

Option 1 definitely. 3 smythes, 4th cup, this would be legendary. Would legitimately raise his stock as one of the best playoff performers ever.

Option 3. The Rocket + Selke is a very impressive combination - as is the strong playoff performance. It would be a hell of a season for him, one of the best ever for that age (maybe the best ever?).

Option 2. A Hart/Lindsay would be tremendous at his age - but this one really seemslike a stretch. How is he even winning the Hart + Lindsay with 115 points, when the last 2 Ross trophies were won at ~145-155 points? Unless scoring is going way down - this just seems unrealistic, and so I have it last. The playoffs certainly doesn't help him - but I'm a bit less worried about that, 1 bad round isn't the end of the world for a player with such a great legacy.

 

[TheGuiminator]

Option 1 definitely. 3 smythes, 4th cup, this would be legendary. Would legitimately raise his stock as one of the best playoff performers ever.

Option 3. The Rocket + Selke is a very impressive combination - as is the strong playoff performance. It would be a hell of a season for him, one of the best ever for that age (maybe the best ever?).

Option 2. A Hart/Lindsay would be tremendous at his age - but this one really seemslike a stretch. How is he even winning the Hart + Lindsay with 115 points, when the last 2 Ross trophies were won at ~145-155 points? Unless scoring is going way down - this just seems unrealistic, and so I have it last. The playoffs certainly doesn't help him - but I'm a bit less worried about that, 1 bad round isn't the end of the world for a player with such a great legacy.

2022 was just two years ago, and the Art Ross was won with 123 points in a relatively high-scoring year. We could see a similar season again.

There could be a scenario where McDavid finishes with 128 points, MacKinnon with 118 points, and Crosby with 115 points.

Additionally, players like Draisaitl, Rantanen, and Makar pushing for 100-110 points might lead to McDavid and MacKinnon losing votes in favor of Crosby who would stand out by leading a mediocre and aging Penguins to the playoffs as the only player with 100 points and 50 goals on his team.

 

[Golden_Jet]

2022 was just two years ago, and the Art Ross was won with 123 points in a relatively high-scoring year. We could see a similar season again.

There could be a scenario where McDavid finishes with 128 points, MacKinnon with 118 points, and Crosby with 115 points.

Additionally, players like Draisaitl, Rantanen, and Makar pushing for 100-110 points might lead to McDavid and MacKinnon losing votes in favor of Crosby who would stand out by leading a mediocre and aging Penguins to the playoffs as the only player with 100 points and 50 goals on his team.

Don’t see Crosby breaking 100 points, last time he did it was at age 31.
Last time he got 50 goals he was 22.

 

[Gunnersaurus Rex]

Option 4. Crosby stays in Pitt all season. Finishes with 70-75 points. Misses the playoffs and retires at the end of the season.

 

[Svencouver]

All 3 of these will happen

 

[wetcoast]

These are some hilarious fantasies.

Don't sorry someone is going to make an Ovechkin fantasy thread as well.

But honestly I'm really wondering what a select 4 or 5 guys here will answer if they answer at all.

 

[Nadal On Clay]

Don't sorry someone is going to make an Ovechkin fantasy thread as well.

But honestly I'm really wondering what a select 4 or 5 guys here will answer if they answer at all.

They don’t even want to think about the possibility of one of these scenarios happening. They probably won’t respond.

 

[TheGuiminator]

Don't sorry someone is going to make an Ovechkin fantasy thread as well.

But honestly I'm really wondering what a select 4 or 5 guys here will answer if they answer at all.

I can do one for Ovechkin too

 

[Killer Orcas]

Give you credit OP you have an imagination. I'm pretty sure option 1 should and will be the landslide winner here.

 

[Video Nasty]

Don't sorry someone is going to make an Ovechkin fantasy thread as well.

But honestly I'm really wondering what a select 4 or 5 guys here will answer if they answer at all.

They don’t even want to think about the possibility of one of these scenarios happening. They probably won’t respond.

They’re absurd fantasies. Why would anyone pick any of the three choices, when they all rely on pretending that Crosby could reach a level of play he rarely, if ever, could past the age of 19, let alone at 37?

Option 1: It would take more than 60 points in 45 games to get the Penguins into the playoffs if they were last in the league with 50 games remaining. To top it off, 40 points in a playoff run (why, because McDavid just did something most didn’t think possible)? The guy has 14 goals and 37 points combined in the 7 years since the Penguins last lifted the Cup.

Option 2: Crosby has one season out of 19 where he scored more than 44 goals. He also has one season out of 19 where he reached 110+. He hasn’t done it in 17 years.

Option 3: 60 goals and a Selke. Perhaps the most absurd of all.

The McDavid thread had realistic possibilities. These are pure fantasy nonsense, which sums up the two players.

 

[Golden_Jet]

Option 4, none of the above.

 

[Midnight Judges]

Half you guys predicted 140 point seasons for Crosby for like 5 years in a row in the early to mid 2010s. Remember that? Good times.

He did get 104 points that one time though. If you just reverse the 4 and the 0 then hey man you guys weren't that far off.

 

[WalterLundy]

2022 was just two years ago, and the Art Ross was won with 123 points in a relatively high-scoring year. We could see a similar season again.

There could be a scenario where McDavid finishes with 128 points, MacKinnon with 118 points, and Crosby with 115 points.

Additionally, players like Draisaitl, Rantanen, and Makar pushing for 100-110 points might lead to McDavid and MacKinnon losing votes in favor of Crosby who would stand out by leading a mediocre and aging Penguins to the playoffs as the only player with 100 points and 50 goals on his team.

Hard to imagine Crosby scoring 115 at this age when his career high is 120. That was in 2007 and my youngest was still in diapers then now he’s in college.

 

[WalterLundy]

Half you guys predicted 140 point seasons for Crosby for like 5 years in a row in the early to mid 2010s. Remember that? Good times.

He did get 104 points that one time though. If you just reverse the 4 and the 0 then hey man you guys weren't that far off.

I don’t really want to be that guy as I do appreciate everything Sidney Crosby has done for the city and he has carved out a top 10 career in the sport (I believe 5-7 range) but for individual best seasons he’s underwhelming for a true generational talent. Sure you have the 159 in 99 games at 1.61 ppg between 2011-2013 (HockeyReference’s garbage adjustments have that at 174 in 99 games for 1.76 ppg) but outside of that his best years are not much higher than a peak Patrick Kane for example.

Crosby’s best adjusted seasons on the baseball site that makes the adjustments are:
07: 122 in 79
10: 117 in 81
14: 116 in 80

Very good seasons to be sure but when I think generational I think better than that. Peak Ovechkin and Malkin have better adjusted single seasons and peak Kane is right there with him. McDavid has blown these numbers out of the water on several occasions and we just saw Kucherov and MacKinnon do that this year as well.

It’s reasonable to believe Sid could have notched a 115-125 point season in 2011 but even then that’s not as good (even when adjusted) as a peak McDavid for example who is a true offensive generational talent. I always tell people about peak Jagr that I got to see in the late 90s and 1999 Jagr was better than any version of Crosby I’ve seen by a clear margin. Better than anyone I’ve seen since other than 97 actually. I don’t want to demean him or make him out to be a scrub but when I hear Crosby and 140 point seasons I laugh as I have seen him play since day one (literally) live and he is not capable.