Sidney Crosby has agreed to a two-year contract extension with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The news came on Monday, later than many expected. Crosby’s decision wasn’t a surprise to those close to the situation. Rob Rossi from The Athletic mentioned that Crosby had already told the Penguins he planned to re-sign after last season ended. This allowed Kyle Dubas and Pat Brisson, Crosby’s agent, to finalize the deal by Sunday night.
Crosby was supposed to become an unrestricted free agent next July. Last winter, there were trade rumors about him when the Penguins missed the playoffs for a second time in a row. Some people even thought he might join another team if Pittsburgh struggled early in the 2024-25 season. But last week, Crosby said he was “pretty optimistic” about staying with the Penguins past his 40th birthday. His new deal keeps his salary-cap hit at $8.7M per season, just like it has been since 2008-09.
Contract Details and Team Dynamics:
Crosby’s agent, Brisson, shared that they had many discussions over the summer before finalizing terms and values of the contract. “He wanted to reflect on everything prior to making a final decision,” Brisson explained. Now, Crosby is eager to help his team win another championship.
Fans might think this shows how loyal Crosby is to Pittsburgh and its fans.
As of Monday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook still had betting odds at +120 for the Penguins making it into this season’s playoffs. Despite these predictions, Crosby chose loyalty over exploring other options and will continue playing alongside Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang—the longest-tenured trio in North American professional sports history since last October.
What do you think about Sidney’s decision?
