PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Even more than rebounding from two straight non-playoffs seasons, what has been hanging over the Penguins this offseason was signing Sidney Crosby to a contract extension. The team captain had some optimistic words today in Las Vegas.
Crosby was part of the NHL and NHL Players Association media tour and according to The Athletic's Josh Yohe and Pittsburgh Hockey Now's Dan Kingerski the 37-year-old is feeling good about getting a deal done with the Penguins.
"I'm pretty optimistic it's going to get done," Crosby told reporters in Las Vegas. "It's been really positive. Hasn't been a difficult process."
It's been 11 years since the Pens captain was in this position after signing a 12-year, $104.4 million contract, which averages out to $8.7 million per season. Crosby has been superstitious about the number 87 which is his birth day and only number he's had with the Penguins.
Currently Crosby's $8.7 cap hit ranks him 43rd in the league with Patrik Laine and Dylan Larkin. The top five contracts in the NHL right now:
• Auston Matthews-Toronto $13.250
• Nathan MacKinnon-Colorado $12.6
• Connor McDavid-Edmonton $12.5
• Artemi Panarin-Rangers $11.642
• Elias Pettersson-Vancouver $11.6
Defenseman Erik Karlsson is currently the highest paid Penguins player at $11.5 million, a contract he signed with San Jose.
Crosby has not said how long he wants to play and really tried to downplay contract talks. He is on the verge of more milestones in 2024-25, his last year under contract
· 46 points from Joe Sakic and 9th place on the NHL's scoring list
· 18 goals from Bobby Hull and 18th place on the NHL's goal scoring list
· 46 assists from Gordie Howe and 10th place on the NHL assists list
· 5 game-winning goals from Steve Yzerman and 13th place on the NHL list (currently one fewer than Wayne Gretzky)
While the contract may not affect the coming season when the Pens have only $3.5 million of available cap space, the franchise will have $33.6 million of cap room in 2025-26.
It's as much optimism as Crosby has expressed publicly about his contract this offseason. The Pens first preseason game is 12 days away
