Insider predicts length of Sidney Crosby's next contract

You can add another Pittsburgh Penguins insider to the list of those confident that it's a matter of when, not if, captain Sidney Crosby will sign what likely will be the final contract extension of his career. Josh Yohe of The Athletic is the latest to express that confidence.

"My guess is that Crosby’s next contract will be for three years," Yohe said for a mailbag published on Monday. "I don’t know that with absolute certainty, but that’s what I’ve heard."

Some have speculated about Crosby’s future considering the fact that he has been eligible to sign a new contract since the start of July, hasn't yet done so and has one season remaining on his current deal. Yohe noted that he doesn't "think the Penguins will be very good this season" after the club missed the playoffs in back-to-back years, but there remains no indication that Crosby wants to play for any other team before he calls time on his Hall of Fame career.

"I’m sure he’d love to hit 700 goals and 2,000 points," Yohe said about 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 turns 37 years old in August and seemingly wants to play alongside center Evgeni Malkin and defenseman Kris Letang through the ends 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 what will be the Penguins' next era. "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 betting 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 that reality isn't causing him to want to feature for any other team before he rides off into the sunset of retirement.