Rumor: Trade talk begins about Sidney Crosby.

One writer has boldly suggested that it's time for one of the league's premier players to be traded.

While on the surface, talk of trading a player the caliber of Sidney Crosby might just seem like crazy talk, the man behind the idea, The Hockey News' Stan Fischler, correctly points out that even Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier were once traded.

Fischler believes the time for the Penguins to act is now, when they can still get a maximum return for a player the status of Crosby, who Fishcler claims is already on the downside of his career.

Now’s the time for the Penguins to trade Sidney Crosby. The No-Longer-Kid is on the downside of his peak and won’t achieve his heroics of yesteryear. Still time for the Pens to cash in on a return.

Fischler believes three teams could realistically make a trade of this magnitude a reality, he names the Los Angeles Kings, Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs.

Currently Crosby does not rank among the top 150 players in the NHL in terms of points.