CRANBERRY TWP., PA. (93.7 The Fan) – Contract won’t be a question this offseason for Sidney Crosby, finding a way back in the postseason will be. Again. The Pens captain coming off a record-setting point-per-game season, discussed the season. What has to change and the impact of a few younger forwards.
“I felt like there was a lot of games, walking out of the rink at the end of the night where I felt like we could have won,” Crosby said at the UPMC Lemieux facility. “I felt pretty good about our game but either made costly mistakes at bad times or, some nights, didn’t find a way to finish.”
“It’s tough. It’s difficult when you’re cleaning out your locker stall and you’re just thinking how fun it is to play in the playoffs and how important that is and how much work everyone puts into trying to make that happen. That’s not a fun feeling when other teams are playing and you’re going home.”
Crosby said it’s about fixing a variety of problems that arose. All teams deal with issues, but the Pens were sustained. If there was one thing that was consistent about the 2024-25 Penguins, it was inconsistency. There is one area where if they made significant improvement in the offseason, Crosby believes it puts them back in the hunt.
“Defensively, we’ve just to find a way to be better and be stingier on a nightly basis,” Crosby said. “That always gives you a chance. If there’s nights that you’re squeezing the stick a bit and it’s not going in, if you defend and allow yourself to hang around then you’ve got a chance and you’re in every game. In that area, we’ve got to find a way to make sure we’re a little harder to play against.”
He is excited about the improvement in the power play, from 22nd last season to sixth in the league his year. That’s a huge boost for this team going forward. So to are the early signs from younger players, particularly forwards Ville Koivunen and Rutger McGroarty, who each had time on Crosby’s line.
“They bring a lot of energy,” Crosby said. “They’re eager. They really want to learn and they’re excited for the opportunity that they have. It creates competition. When you have young guys coming in that are hungry for a spot and for a role, I think it pushes everyone. Ultimately, just that energy, that kind of environment is important to having success. I thought they did a great job with us. That’s the kind of thing that you kind of get when you have young guys coming into the lineup.”
That healthy competition Crosby believes is going to present tough decisions. Regardless of your age, you better come to work for training camp next year. And if you are a good team, you welcome that.
“Missing the playoffs the last few years, there’s always going to be thoughts and opinions and we’ve got to prove it,” Crosby said. “We’ve got to find a way to get back there. It takes a lot of different things. If anything, teams have proven they can turn it around pretty quickly.”
“If you look at all the teams that have gone through different situations or haven’t been in the playoffs … you look at Montreal and getting in there this year, Washington turning things around pretty quickly. So, there’s examples of teams who have missed but also found ways to rebound and respond pretty quick. That’s encouraging. But when you lose, you’re going to hear that.”
“That’s part of it, that’s part of what sucks about losing. It’s up to us to find a way to get back there.”
Crosby will be 38 in August and still playing at an elite level. Can the Pens find the formula the Caps did for Alexander Ovechkin?