A new report has just surfaced that mentions the Vancouver Canucks as being the front-runners to land Penguins' Sidney Crosby, as the rumors really heat up. The Penguins are having a nightmare season in Pittsburgh, sitting at 8-12-4 with a league-worst -33 goal differential. <a href='https://thehockeywriters.com/penguins-rutherford-poor-decision-making-effects/' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>The defense is atrocious, and the aging core can no longer outscore its deficiencies</a>. Despite struggling overall, leading scorers Evgeni Malkin, and Sidney Crosby, are still outstanding; however, they cannot take the whole team on their backs. <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/Sportsnet/status/1860492064657383793'> </a></blockquote></div> On the back end, neither Kris Letang at age 37 nor Erik Karlsson at age 34 has been able to stabilize the team's blue line. The hard truth? The Penguins are old, and they're struggling. A full-scale rebuild in Pittsburgh is on many's minds. Whatever General Manager Kyle Dubas has attempted has not worked out, kind of similar to what Leafs fans are saying during his time in Toronto. Meanwhile, the future of head coach Mike Sullivan seems uncertain amidst rumors of being dismissed. The move could be the firing of Sullivan, but the underlying tone is the same from fans: drastic changes are afoot. The overriding sentiment online? Tear it all down. <a href='https://www.hockeylatest.com/nhl/trades/paul-bissonnette-call-to-have-crosby-traded-leads-the-leafs-and-oilers-to-pop-up-as-possible-destinations' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Trading Malkin, Letang, Karlsson, and even Crosby, the ultimate nuclear option, are considered necessary</a> to start a rebuild. Of course, the future of Crosby takes center stage in the discussion. Penguins insider Josh Yohe recently speculated that Crosby might waive his no-move clause for the Vancouver Canucks, citing his close ties to Rick Tocchet, Jim Rutherford, and Patrik Allvin. If I'm Sid and I do want to be traded someday that would probably be my top choice, or right up there. I do know that he loves Tocchet and he loves Rutherford. I know he likes Patrik Allvin and there are a lot of other former Penguins on that Vancouver roster. So yeah, it all makes sense to me. I just think it's unlikely to happen. He's a creature of habit and he's incredibly comfortable here in Pittsburgh. - Josh Yohe <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/DonnieandDhali/status/1861855009018683531'> </a></blockquote></div> Picture Crosby centering a Canucks power play with Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser, it's the stuff of hockey dreams. Imagine Sidney Crosby joining the Washington Capitals. To see him in Caps red, lined up alongside Alex Ovechkin, would be one of the all-time great duos in NHL history. Whichever direction it now takes, one thing becomes clear: bold and clear-cut action is what the Penguins need to reclaim relevance.