Does Penguins star Sidney Crosby even want a contract extension?

Entering the final season of his 12-year, $104.4M mega-deal with the Penguins, franchise cornerstone Sidney Crosby became eligible to sign an extension on July 1 this year.

A deal seemed close shortly after that, with reports suggesting the two sides would formalize an extension weeks into free agency.

However, with no news yet, Elliotte Friedman said on Fridays 32 Thoughts podcast that Crosby is still weighing whether he wants to sign any of the multiple offers presented to him by Pittsburgh general manager Kyle Dubas.

Crosbys uncertainty isnt related to a desire to maximize his earning potential in the latter stages of his career its simply about whether hes prepared to spend the final years of his time as a top-of-the-lineup player on a retooling Pittsburgh club.

The Penguins have presented him with multiple offers with varying lengths, all of which are acceptable to Crosby in theory, Friedman noted.

"One thing I wonder," the hockey insider said, "is if Crosby is simply sitting here saying Ive got no problem with the offers, Ive got no problem with the Penguins, but if were not going to be making the playoffs, am I going to be able to handle that? I think thats one of the things hed kind of weighing." He then continued on the topic "My prediction is he stays because I think hes a Penguin and he wants to be a Penguin," Friedman said, "but Ive tried to ask around about why it isnt done, and I think one of the reasons is its the summer and he doesnt need to rush.

Hes still got time.

And I think the other one is what if its like that? Is [he] going to be able to deal with it, because hes still at the top of his game and hes competitive." With the extension saga beginning to draw out into its third month, theres been more discussion about contingency plans and ripple effects if he enters training camp in a couple of weeks without a deal in place.

Travis Yost of TSN posited earlier this week that Crosby may accept a trade elsewhere at the deadline, allowing the Pens to bolster their future with a presumably gargantuan trade return before signing back in Pittsburgh as an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Last month, Josh Yohe of The Athletic wrote about the off-ice impact of Crosby not extending before camp.

Crosby has one season left on his deal at an $8.7M cap hit, but hes owed just $3M in salary this year.

Its the same structure his extremely front-loaded contract has carried since the 2022-23 campaign.

If theres a lack of urgency from Crosbys end to the degree that Friedman implies, its becoming more plausible than not that hes still not signed past 2025 when camp kicks off in less than two weeks.

Pittsburgh still needs his best if they have any intention of closing the three-point gap that kept them out of the postseason for the second year in a row last season.

The 37-year-old had 42 goals and 94 points in all 82 games en route to finishing ninth in Hart Trophy voting, his highest finish in the MVP tally since 2021.

This article first appeared on Pro Hockey Rumors and was syndicated with permission..

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