Much of the attention around the Penguins this month has been tied to Ville Koivunen’s stunning eight-year contract, but that story may not stay in the spotlight for long. Sidney Crosby’s next deal is coming into view, and it could become the biggest contract storyline in Pittsburgh before the season starts.
Crosby is now one year from free agency. He carries an $8.7 million cap hit for the 2026-27 season and is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2027.
Thirty-six days later, he’ll turn 40. That timeline alone has created plenty of conversation, but there’s a strong chance the actual contract talks arrive well before then.
A similar situation played out two years ago, when Crosby signed a two-year contract on Sept. 16, 2024, just before training camp opened. This time, the same kind of schedule seems possible.
When I recently spoke with Crosby’s agent, Pat Brisson, he said he hadn’t discussed the contract with Crosby yet, explaining that he was letting his most famous client enjoy the summer before getting back to business. Brisson said there’s an understanding that they’ll talk before summer ends.
The Penguins open their first preseason game Sept. 21.
Crosby didn’t sound like a player anywhere near the finish line when I asked him about retirement in May at the IIHF World Championships in Switzerland.
“Not at all,” he responded when I asked if there was a possibility the 2026-27 season could be his last.
At this point, the expectation is that Crosby will land a new deal somewhere between now and the middle of September. That’s the pattern he’s already followed, and it fits the way he prefers to handle these things. The question is less whether he signs than how long the new agreement will run.
That likely means one or two years.
“If it makes sense to sign for a couple of years, then we’ll do that,” Crosby said.
Crosby also made it clear in May that he’s open to working with the Penguins on both salary and term before his current contract expires. He said he’d like to keep playing for a few more seasons if his health allows it.
When opening night arrives Sept. 30 in Philadelphia, he’ll be starting his 22nd season with the Penguins, the longest any athlete has played for a Pittsburgh professional sports team. There’s a real chance he has a fresh contract by then.
The longer this drags on, the more noise will follow. Before Crosby signed his current deal in 2024, there were rumors about whether he might seek or approve a trade because his contract includes a no-movement clause. Those whispers grew even louder last summer after Brisson told The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun that Crosby could one day entertain a trade, saying, “Let’s put it this way, it’s always a possibility, you know?”
That was before the Penguins were expected to be one of the NHL’s weakest teams and then made the playoffs last season. Crosby has repeatedly said, both privately and publicly, that he isn’t looking to play anywhere else. He also doesn’t seem eager to spend the season answering contract questions if he goes unsigned into opening night.
Even while dealing with a knee injury from the Winter Olympics and another knee issue that slowed him late in the regular season, Crosby still delivered 29 goals and 74 points in 68 games. That marked his 21st straight season at a point-per-game pace or better.
Koivunen’s long-term deal continues to draw attention, and not everybody in the organization was thrilled when Dubas committed eight years and $32 million to the unproven forward. But the front office is impressed with how Koivunen has spent the summer. He’s added significant strength in the gym, which matters because getting knocked off the puck was a problem during his first full NHL season.
The Penguins still love his vision and passing ability, and they believe he was also unlucky around the net for much of last season. More than anything else, team sources say analytics helped drive the decision to take the gamble on him.
As for what comes next, another move before the season still feels possible. The Penguins look thin on defense and crowded up front, and that has created plenty of questions about whether a forward might be moved to make room for Koivunen. Even so, Dubas appears comfortable heading into the season with the roster as it stands.
Among the players Pittsburgh added this summer, Declan Carlile is the one I keep hearing about most. Dubas signed the 26-year-old left-shot defenseman after free agency opened in July, and the Penguins are clearly taking another calculated swing here.
People inside the organization are high on Carlile. They believe he can at least handle the kind of role Ryan Shea filled over the past three seasons before Shea signed a five-year contract with the Edmonton Oilers.
Carlile’s game won’t bring much offense - he has two goals and four points in 46 NHL games - but Pittsburgh views him as a defense-first player who can help in a meaningful way. With Shea gone and Parker Wotherspoon traded to the Vegas Golden Knights for 25-year-old defenseman Kaedan Korczak, the Penguins’ blue line may look less secure on paper. For now, they’re betting Carlile can help steady it.
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