KHL only place for Crosby

Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby should only consider signing with a KHL team if he makes the choice to play in an overseas league while the NHL lockout is ongoing. According to Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, we might not have to wait much longer to find out if Crosby will play overseas this year. There would be no better way for Crosby to "get back at" the owners for not doing enough to end the lockout than by signing with a team in the NHL's rival league.

If Crosby chooses to play overseas, is the KHL the best league for him?

Yes

90.0%

No

10.0%

Total votes: 10

Crosby signing with a KHL team would likely make NHL commissioner Gary Bettman furious because the KHL would then become the only place to watch the face of the NHL. Any Crosby versus Alexander Ovechkin games in the KHL would be huge events and would shift the focus of the hockey world on the KHL for a few days. It's hard to determine what kind of impact Crosby going to the KHL would have on the CBA talks between the NHL and NHLPA, but it would certainly create some more pressure on both sides to get a deal. The other major reason why the KHL is Crosby's best option is because some of his current and former Penguins teammates are playing in that league right now. Current Penguins star Evgeni Malkin and former teammate Sergei Gonchar have been playing together for Magnitogorsk Metallurg during the work stoppage.

If Crosby goes overseas, he should sign with Magnitogorsk Metallurg. For Crosby to feel comfortable in Russia, he should go to a team where he will have some friends and/or ex-teammates that he can hang out with and take advice from. Playing alongside players who he knows would help Crosby make a smooth transition to a league far different from the NHL. He has played with Malkin for many years in Pittsburgh, and the two of them are arguably the best power play duo in the world. Deciding whether or not to play overseas during the lockout is a major moment in Crosby's career, and it will be a very hard choice to make. However, if Crosby does go overseas, choosing the league to play in and the team to sign with shouldn't be difficult at all. Magnitogorsk Metallurg of the KHL are the best fit.