Sidney Crosby expected a contract extension with the Pittsburgh Penguins before training camp, and he was right.
Monday morning, the Pittsburgh Penguins put their biggest current issue to rest when they signed superstar center and captain Crosby to a two-year contract extension worth $8.7 million per year.
The new deal – which begins in the 2025-26 season – is far less than Crosby could’ve earned on the open market if he chose to go there next summer.
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Clearly, Crosby wanted to remain a Penguin until or near his retirement. And Penguins GM Kyle Dubas understands how much of a favor Crosby has done for the team by accepting a salary well below his market value.
“His actions today show why he is one of hockey’s greatest winners and leaders,” Dubas said in a news release. “Sid is making a tremendous personal sacrifice in an effort to help the Penguins win, both now and in the future, as he has done for his entire career.”
Dubas also spoke about what having Crosby on that deal means for “this phase of our project.”
“Sid’s commitment reiterates our urgency to build a team around him that can return our team to contention and provide our players with Sid’s leadership and example of what it means to be a Pittsburgh Penguin,” Dubas said.
Everything Dubas said Monday about Crosby is true.
He not only chose not to receive a significant raise on his new pact – he chose not to get a raise at all. He’s been playing for $8.7 million per season since he signed a 12-year, $104.4-million contract in June 2012.
By signing a new deal now, Crosby and the Penguins avoid what would’ve been season-long questions about his future. Crosby is well aware that his decision will help Dubas bring in more talent when the salary cap rises and his salary remains unchanged.
“I want to win, obviously, every single night,” Crosby said last week at the NHL and NHL Players’ Association’s media tour. “Whether that’s being part of a young team and being in that state or coming off our Stanley Cup win in 2016 and wanting to do it again the next year, my mentality doesn’t change. (The Penguins have) had that as part of our culture for a long time. And I don’t think you just turn that off.”
As per PuckPedia, the Penguins have about $68.7 million in committed cap space for 16 players in the 2025-26 campaign. Even with a rise in the cap ceiling, that will make things tight for Dubas and Pens management to bring in new talent and reward Pittsburgh’s young players.
But knowing the Penguins’ core is now under contract for the next two seasons – which includes star center Evgeni Malkin, right winger Bryan Rust and defensemen Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson – the Penguins can focus on their business on the ice and not the finances off the ice.
In a fair and just world, Crosby would be making more than Karlsson, whose cap hit in Pittsburgh is $9.99 million. Crosby, however, has never been one who needs to be the NHL’s top-paid player, and his savvy understanding of cap constraints shows his selflessness in financial matters and the team as a whole.
At age 37, Crosby is showing no signs of slowing down. It would’ve been understandable if he’d dug in his feet and demanded a serious pay bump, but his innate competitiveness has once again led him to accept a bargain payday in the hope it will lead to Crosby’s fourth Stanley Cup.
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News Summary:
- Why Sidney Crosby Is 'Making A Tremendous Personal Sacrifice' With New Penguins Extension
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