The ongoing mystery of why Pittsburgh Penguins superstar captain Sidney Crosby hasn’t signed a contract extension remains the biggest puzzle this summer.
In a piece published on Wednesday, Penguins insider Rob Rossi of The Athletic reassured concerned Pittsburgh fans that there’s no cause for alarm, even though Crosby has only one season left on his current deal.
“I made a few calls to follow up, and the only real news — perhaps another subjective term — is that all parties (Crosby and his agent, Pat Brisson, and Penguins president of hockey operations/general manager Kyle Dubas) were comfortable enough with where the contract negotiations stood that everybody felt comfortable going about summer plans such as taking holidays and enjoying a bit of downtime,” Rossi explained. “Nobody from the Penguins’ hockey side is worried about Crosby eventually putting ink to paper. This is not to suggest some folks who deal with season-ticket holders/corporate partners aren’t sweating until he does.”
Last month, it was reported that Crosby’s representatives and the Penguins were close to finalizing a multi-year agreement, despite Pittsburgh missing the playoffs for two consecutive years and undergoing a roster rebuild as Crosby approaches his 37th birthday next Wednesday. As of Thursday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Penguins at +120 odds to make the playoffs for the 2024-25 season.
“Crosby has never waited anywhere near this long in an offseason to re-up with the Penguins,” Rossi continued. “It’s also true that he has a birthday approaching and he has a history of attaching importance to the day he was born; he wears No. 87 and has played on an $8.7M cap hit because his birth date was Aug. 7, 1987. Read into that last sentence what you will.”
While logic suggests that Pittsburgh’s championship window with Crosby, center Evgeni Malkin, and defenseman Kris Letang closed this past spring, there is no indication that Crosby has changed his mind about wanting to remain a Penguin at the highest level.
Crosby, a living legend and club icon, has earned the right to take his time in deciding how to conclude his Hall of Fame career. However, if August 7 passes without an announcement from the Penguins about a contract extension, some may understandably begin to question what Crosby truly thinks about the direction of a franchise that currently isn’t close to winning a fourth Stanley Cup under his leadership.
