Pittsburgh Penguins: Sidney Crosby Contract Extension Headlines Team Entering 2024 Season

The Pittsburgh Penguins will enter the 2024-2025 season with Sidney Crosby entering the final year of his deal. Crosby has played in the NHL since he was a rookie during the 2005-2006 season. Sidney Crosby was the number one overall pick for Pittsburgh in the 2005 NHL Draft. He has had a first-ballot Hall of Fame career. Crosby has won three Stanley Cup titles with the organization, a Hart Trophy, and two Conn Smythe Trophies. Sidney Crosby has nothing else to prove in his NHL career.

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His Contract Is a Story To Watch For

A lot of Pittsburgh Penguins fans are nervous that Sidney Crosby has not signed a contract extension by now. They do have a point. Pittsburgh has not made the playoffs in the last two seasons. If they were to miss it for a third straight season, would he want to continue playing here, go elsewhere, or even retire from the NHL? That is something that remains to be seen. Nick Belsky of Sports Illustrated also believes that Sidney Crosby not yet signing a contract extension with the Pittsburgh Penguins is also a storyline to watch for during the 2024-2025 season. Belsky said:

“Sidney Crosby’s contract has been the story of the summer. He and the Penguins have blown through two publicly imposed deadlines, including Crosby’s August 7th birthday. The 37-year-old has been outspoken about his desire to finish his career with the Penguins.

Entering his 20th season, Crosby has the difficult task of carrying a franchise back to the postseason while fighting off father time. It’s unlikely Crosby would want to add contract speculation and constant questioning on top of that. If a deal is going to get done, it may come before he steps on the ice for the first training camp practice.”

Sidney Crosby last season played in all 82 games for the Penguins. He scored 42 goals and recorded 52 assists. His plus/minus rating was 7. Had Pittsburgh made the playoffs last season, there could have been a chance for him to be a Hart Trophy finalist. Can Crosby still keep it up at 37 years old? It remains to be seen. He wants a chance to win one more Stanley Cup Title with the core of Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang. The Achilles heel of this hockey team over the last couple of seasons has been the goaltending and the blueline.

For now, the first line to start the 2024-2025 season will be Sidney Crosby, Rickard Rakell, and Bryan Rust. There could be a chance that rookie Rutger McGroarty will get a chance to be Crosby’s linemate at some point. Head coach Mike Sullivan has been coaching him since the 2015-2016 season, where they eventually went on to win back-to-back Stanley Cup titles. It also hurt Crosby that Jake Guentzel was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes at the trade deadline last season. It will be interesting to see if Sidney Crosby signs a contract at some point. If not, there is a chance he could pull a John Tavares and Steven Stamkos.

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Article originally written by Glenn Kaplan