Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby signs two-year contract extension

Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby's contract extension is giving him a chance to wind up as the franchise scoring leader.

The Penguins captain signed a two-year, $17.4 million contract extension Monday. It kicks in next season and runs through 2026-27. Crosby, who turned 37 in August, is entering the final year of a 12-year contract that also averaged $8.7 million, a nod to his No. 87 jersey number and Aug. 7, 1987, birthday.

"There are no words to properly describe what Sidney Crosby means to the game of hockey, the city of Pittsburgh and the Penguins organization," Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas said in a statement. "Sidney is the greatest player of his generation and one of the greatest players in the history of the game. His actions today show why he is one of hockey’s greatest winners and leaders. Sid is making a tremendous personal sacrifice in an effort to help the Penguins win, both now and in the future, as he has done for his entire career."

The new deal will give Crosby a chance to move past franchise scoring leader Mario Lemieux. Crosby is second overall with 592 goals, 1,004 and 1,596 points in 1,272 career games and is 98 goals, 29 assists and 127 points behind Lemieux.

The extension will keep the team's Big Three together for at least two more seasons. Center Evgeni Malkin is signed through 2026 and defenseman Kris Letang through 2028.

"I think just the years, not knowing, trying to project how you're going to feel in a number of years, it's hard," Crosby told The Athletic on why the extension wasn't reached until Monday. "And just making sure it was something that made sense for both myself and the team, just trying to figure out in my mind what that looked like.

"It was a pretty smooth process. I'm glad it's done and I can focus on playing. I'm really grateful that I can keep playing here for a number of years."

The immediate challenge for the Penguins and Crosby will be getting back to the playoffs after two consecutive misses.

Crosby, a three-time Stanley Cup winner, has done his part. He has led the team in scoring the past four seasons and topped 90 points the past two seasons.

"His dedication to the Penguins through 2027 ensures that our franchise will have its captain as we go through this phase of our project," Dubas said. "Sid’s commitment reiterates our urgency to build a team around him that can return our team to contention and provide our players with Sid’s leadership and example of what it means to be a Pittsburgh Penguin."

The Penguins recently acquired prospect Rutger McGroarty from the Winnipeg Jets, and the rookie has a chance to make the team and earn a spot in the top six forwards.

Before that move, the Penguins traded forward Reilly Smith to the New York Rangers and acquired Kevin Hayes (St. Louis Blues) and Cody Glass (Nashville Predators) in trades. They also signed forwards Anthony Beauvillier and Blake Lizotte and defenseman Sebastian Aho.

Red Wings re-sign Jonatan Berggren

The Detroit Red Wings have re-signed Jonatan Berggren .

A skilled forward, Berggren was a restricted free agent, and received a deal for $825,000, the team announced Monday . His previous contract, an entry-level one, had an annual cap hit of $925,000.

That still leaves restricted free agents Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond without new deals, with training camp just days away.

Contributing: Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby signs two-year contract extension