Sidney Crosby has been eligible to sign a contract extension with the Pittsburgh Penguins for a whole month, but no official deal has been announced. Crosby’s current contract has a year remaining, but signing an extension is arguably the Penguins’ most important item on their offseason checklist.
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Rob Rossi of the Athletic provided an update a week into free agency that a new deal was “close” to being signed. Despite the update, multiple weeks have passed with no pen to paper.
In a new update, Rossi says there is still no need to worry or draw unwarranted conclusions. Negotiations have been going well, and everyone is comfortable with the situation.
“All parties were comfortable enough with where the contract negotiations stood,” Rossi writes. “Everybody felt comfortable going about summer plans such as taking holidays and enjoying a bit of downtime.”
The parties involved include Crosby, his agent Pat Brisson, and Penguins president and general manager Kyle Dubas. Crosby and Dubas have also stated multiple times that they would like to keep negotiations as private as possible.
While speculation may rise without a new deal made official, Rossi urges that no one within the Penguins organization is worried. Crosby wants to stay in Pittsburgh and plans to retire as a Penguin.
“Nobody from the Penguins’ hockey side is worried about Crosby eventually putting ink to paper.”
Longtime teammate Evgeni Malkin even told a Russian outlet that he isn’t worried about Crosby’s situation. Malkin is confident his captain will come to the same conclusion he did, and that’s signing a deal that will keep him in Pittsburgh for life.
The only time it may become acceptable to worry about Crosby’s situation, according to Rossi, is if the 2024-25 season opens without an extension in place.
“Don’t fret until the season opener passes without an announcement.”
