Marc-Andre Fleury makes stunning statement about Sidney Crosby's future.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are trending in the wrong direction with Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas now openly moving the team towards a rebuild that has been a long time coming.

In spite of the fact that the Penguins are trending the wrong way however, they still boast the core group of 3 players that helped bring a total of 3 Stanley Cups to the Pittsburgh Penguins. I am of course speaking of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, players whose futures are now all in doubt.

The most intriguing name on that list has of course been Crosby's with fans and pundits alike wondering if Crosby would ever leave his beloved Penguins to get a final chance to chase a Stanley Cup championship with another franchise in the final years of his career. Thus far Crosby has held firm and has remained in Pittsburgh despite the team failing to even so much as make the playoffs for several years in a row, and it seems that even those close to him are now hoping he will have a change of heart.

Crosby's former teammate Marc-Andre Fleury recently commented on the topic and Fleury left no doubt about the fact that he would like to see his friend get another chance at glory before his career is over.

"I can't speak for him but I feel like I hope that he leaves," said Fleury to La Presse in French. "It has been three years in a row that the Penguins have missed the playoffs and it's not looking good for next season."

It's not that Fleury has anything against the City of Pittsburgh, nothing could be further from the truth, but his desire to see Crosby leave the Penguins simply stems from a desire to see his friend happy.

"I just hope he can go battle for another Stanley Cup," said Fleury. "He's such a winner, a great player."

While it is a sentiment that fans in Pittsburgh probably don't want to hear, it is a sentiment that I believe more and more people in the hockey community are beginning to share.