Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby may have turned 39 last month, but it appears he has no intention of hanging up his skates anytime soon.
Speaking at the NHL/NHLPA player media tour in Las Vegas on Tuesday, Crosby was asked about his next contract. He is entering the final year of his current deal and has yet to sign any extension for the 2027-28 season or beyond.
“Pat (Brisson)’s talking to Kyle (Dubas). It’s just a little bit more difficult at my age as far as trying to project where you’re
gonna be. … I’d like to continue playing for a number of years. It’s just I don’t know what that number is. I guess your mind and body tell you that eventually. Right now I feel pretty good, though.”
Crosby remains eligible to sign an extension at any point between now and the end of this season.
He signed a two-year, $17.4 million contract extension with the Penguins on Sept. 16, 2024, maintaining a cap hit of $8.7 million, which has become an iconic, if not superstitious, staple of Crosby’s illustrious career dating back to the 2008-09 season.
I’m not sure it would take a betting man to assume that whatever the final number is, it will incorporate 87 in some way.
With Crosby in a good place physically and hoping to play at least two more seasons, perhaps another two-year extension is in the cards. That would take him through the 2028-29 season at age 41.
And if we want to speculate even more, let’s say Crosby finishes the next three seasons averaging 75 points. At that rate, the chase for 2,000 career regular-season points would be well and truly underway, if not fully eclipsed, Crosby’s health and production permitting.
Whatever the case, Brisson, Crosby’s longtime agent, and general manager Kyle Dubas look primed to iron out the finer details of Crosby’s next contract soon.
Pittsburgh’s regular season kicks off three weeks from Wednesday. It behooves everyone to finalize Crosby’s next contract before the extension talks linger into the regular season, giving more ammunition to those still holding out the tiniest sliver of hope that Crosby will use his star power to force a trade to Colorado or a Canadian market.
He’s a one-jersey captain, folks.
The Penguins will start the 2026-27 regular season on Sept. 30 against the Philadelphia Flyers. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
