Insider Predicts Length of Sidney Crosby’s Next Contract…
Another Pittsburgh Penguins insider has joined the ranks of those confident that captain Sidney Crosby will sign what is likely to be the final contract extension of his career. Josh Yohe of The Athletic is the latest to share this belief.
“My guess is that Crosby’s next contract will be for three years,” Yohe mentioned in a mailbag published on Monday. “I don’t know that with absolute certainty, but that’s what I’ve heard.”
Despite speculation about Crosby’s future, given that he has been eligible to sign a new contract since the start of July and has one season left on his current deal, Yohe emphasized that there is no indication Crosby wants to leave the Penguins. This is despite the team’s struggles, having missed the playoffs for two consecutive years.
“I’m sure he’d love to hit 700 goals and 2,000 points,” Yohe said of Crosby, who ended last season with 592 career goals and 1,596 career points. “Those numbers are not unrealistic, especially the 700 goals. But he’s won the Cup three times. He’s won Olympic gold twice. He’s one of the five best players of all time. His legacy is safer than safe. He’s got a nine-figure bank account. So, I suspect he’ll stop going when he doesn’t enjoy it anymore.”
Crosby, who turns 37 in August, seemingly wants to continue playing alongside center Evgeni Malkin and defenseman Kris Letang until the end of their NHL careers. In October 2023, they became the longest-tenured trio of teammates in North American professional sports history.
“I have no doubt Crosby will remain something of a fixture in Pittsburgh,” Yohe added about the Penguins’ future. “He loves it here. I also think he’ll be involved in hockey in some capacity, perhaps with the Penguins. He has the money to invest in ownership if he wants. He told me once that he’d never have interest in being a coach, but perhaps would love to be a general manager, like his hero, Steve Yzerman.”
As of Monday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Penguins at +120 odds to make the playoffs for the upcoming season. Pittsburgh’s window to win another title with Crosby on the roster has likely closed, but this reality doesn’t seem to make him want to play for any other team before retiring.
