Report: Penguins, Sidney Crosby Making Progress on Contract Extension
Sidney Crosby appears close to fulfilling his commitment to remain a Pittsburgh Penguin for life.
The Penguins captain is nearing a new deal that would begin during the 2025-26 season, Rob Rossi of The Athletic reports. He became eligible to sign an extension on July 1st as an unrestricted free agent after next season.
Details of Crosby’s contract extension are being held close to the vest by his agent, Pat Brisson. However, Rossi reports it could potentially include a $10-million average annual value across three seasons, extending him through his age-40 season.
According to Rossi, Crosby has continued to reaffirm his intention to finish his career in Pittsburgh during discussions with Penguins general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas. That’s something he’s also stated publicly on numerous occasions.
The 2005 first-overall selection will enter the final season of his 12-year, $104.4-million contract in 2024-25. It was signed in June 2012, when players could re-sign with a club beyond eight years – the maximum allowable term these days.
Crosby’s current deal carries an $8.7 million cap hit but was heavily front-loaded, paying him a $3 million base salary per year over the final three seasons. This payment structure has helped the Penguins’ brass build a contender around their captain during the later stages of his career.
That’s allowed them to keep their core together, including longtime teammates Evgeni Malkin (signed through 2025-26) and Kris Letang (signed through 2027-28), while adding an impact defenceman like Erik Karlsson.
Pittsburgh’s aging roster has struggled to live up to expectations, missing the playoffs over the last two seasons and winning just a single postseason round since capturing consecutive Stanley Cups in 2016 and ‘17. And they’ve done little to improve the roster this summer.
While Dubas has added around the edges, bringing in veterans such as Kevin Hayes (trade), Matt Grzelcyk (free agent), Anthony Beauvillier (free agent), Blake Lizotte (free agent) and defenceman Sebastian Aho (free agent), those minor acquisitions have left them with just $3.5 million in cap space, per PuckPedia.
That likely won’t be sufficient to add another top-six forward to replace Jake Guentzel, whom the club traded to the Carolina Hurricanes last season for a package that included Michael Bunting, three prospects and two conditional 2024 draft picks.
Crosby, who’ll turn 37 next month, holds the franchise record for the most games played at 1,272 and could pass Mario Lemieux for top spot in goals and points should he sign on for three more years. He’s notched 592 goals and 1,596 points across 19 seasons with the Penguins.
The 10-time All-Star and two-time Hart Trophy winner will also have the chance to continue rising up the NHL’s all-time scoring list, currently 45 points behind Joe Sakic for ninth. Wayne Gretzky is the only player ever to reach 2,000 points in the sport’s history.
Despite being in his late 30s, Crosby has maintained his elite-level status, delivering consecutive 90-point seasons over his previous two campaigns. Last year, he enjoyed the third 40-goal season of his career, and his first since 2016-17.
The Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, native – a three-time Stanley Cup champion – also owns 71 goals and 201 points over 180 career playoff games.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @Hall_Thomas_
Photo: Michael Miller. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.