Sidney Crosby isn’t hinting at the end just yet. In fact, the Penguins captain said his camp is already talking extension with general manager Kyle Dubas as he heads into his 22nd NHL season.
“It’s just a little bit more difficult at my age as far as trying to project where you’re gonna be,” Crosby said Tuesday, according to The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus. He made it clear he still sees plenty of hockey ahead: “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, who turns 39, is eligible to sign an extension and is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2026-27 season. He signed a two-year deal in September 2024 with an $8.7-million average annual value, and that $8.7-million cap hit has been in place since the 2008-09 season across three contracts.
Even at this stage of his career, Crosby is still producing at a star level. Last season, he scored 29 goals and finished with 74 points in 68 games, keeping alive his NHL record streak of consecutive seasons averaging at least a point per game. Pittsburgh returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2022, then fell in the first round to the Philadelphia Flyers.
Crosby also dealt with a lower-body injury during the Olympic tournament in February. He captained Canada but missed the final two games, including the gold-medal matchup against the United States, and then sat out 11 NHL games.
Back in May, Crosby said he was “not at all” thinking about retirement when his current contract expires.
The 2005 No. 1 pick has spent his entire career with the Penguins. In 1,420 career games, he has 654 goals and 1,761 points, and he stands as Pittsburgh’s all-time leader in assists and points. He is 36 goals behind Mario Lemieux for the franchise goals record and ranks seventh on the NHL’s all-time points list, 37 shy of cracking the top five.
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