Did Penguins’ Crosby consider trade and future free agent path?

Pittsburgh Penguins insider Rob Rossi of The Athletic reported some expected news on Monday when he shared that longtime captain Sidney Crosby and the club are confident a new contract “will be agreed upon and made official soon” amid rumors surrounding Crosby’s future.

Crosby has one season left on his current contract and has been eligible for an extension since last Monday.

“While both sides expect Crosby to extend his successful partnership with the Penguins, he and the team are aware that every day that goes by without his next contract being announced only fuels public speculation that he could test the free-agent market next summer or even be traded,” Rossi said. “Those scenarios were never discussed, the sources said.”

Crosby turns 37 next month and was the subject of interesting trade rumors last winter before the Penguins missed the playoffs for a second straight season.

Several reporters have since poured cold water on such speculation, but the fact that Crosby hasn’t officially put pen to paper on a deal has led some to wonder if he’s having second thoughts, given that individuals like Josh Yohe of The Athletic made it clear that Penguins president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas had the organization “in transition” this summer.

“Crosby reaffirmed to Dubas what he has said publicly on several occasions: He wants to finish his career with the Penguins, who drafted him first overall in 2005,” Rossi said of the two players’ offseason discussions. “The potential deal is viewed by both sides as a ‘commitment to Pittsburgh,’ a team and league source said.”

Rossi notably revealed that Crosby could potentially sign “a three-year contract with a potential average annual value of $10 million.” Such a deal would allow the three-time Stanley Cup champion to play alongside center Evgeni Malkin and defenseman Kris Letang for the remainder of their careers with the Penguins.

According to Wes Crosby of the NHL website, these club icons became the longest-tenured trio of teammates in North American professional sports history in October 2023.

Some will argue that the Penguins should blow it up and start a complete rebuild as soon as possible, as their window to win another title with Crosby, Malkin and Letang on the roster is already closed.

Those individuals may be right, but Crosby has undeniably earned the right to leave on his terms when he’s ready and to what has been the only NHL home of his Hall of Fame career.