Penguins insider addresses 'worrisome' Sidney Crosby rumors

Over the weekend, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette sports columnist Jason Mackey noted that the situation involving superstar Sidney Crosby is now "far more worrisome" for Pittsburgh Penguins fans than it was even a couple of weeks ago as Crosby remains on track to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 of next year. 

For a mailbag published on Monday, Penguins insider Josh Yohe of The Athletic insisted that Crosby "is very, very, very much above chasing championships" amid whispers suggesting the captain may not be thrilled with the direction of the franchise. 

"This is a man of integrity and loyalty," Yohe wrote. "Crosby is 37. He was drafted by the Penguins when he was still 17. In other words, he’s been with the Penguins more than half of his life and literally all of his adult life. He’s been the Penguins captain for almost half of his life." 

Crosby became the subject of trade rumors this past winter before the Penguins missed the playoffs for a second consecutive season and team president/general manager Kyle Dubas unofficially began a badly-needed roster rebuild. As of Monday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook continued to have Pittsburgh at +120 betting odds to qualify for the 2024-25 playoffs. 

Yohe and other Penguins reporters have repeatedly said since the spring that Crosby wants to eventually retire as a one-club NHL man and that Fenway Sports Group, which owns the Penguins, is willing to pay the three-time Stanley Cup champion so he can accomplish that goal. However, there was still no indication as of Monday afternoon that Crosby was close to putting pen to paper on any type of extension with the Penguins. 

With all that said, Yohe hinted that Crosby has reasons to want to stay in Pittsburgh that go beyond what happens on the ice. 

"We’re already dealing with a very loyal human being, someone who doesn’t care for change, almost to the point of madness," Yohe continued. "Then consider that playing for a Canadian team would be unbearable for Crosby, who already has a tough time even going to dinner in his native country."

Yohe predicted that Dubas could get a 2025 first-round draft pick, a 2026 first-round choice, a "top prospect" and "a young NHL player" for Crosby if the future Hall of Famer agreed to a trade between now and the middle of September. Yohe added that "no one is talking about" the possibility that Crosby wants to play out the final year of his deal and then retire next summer. 

Only the people directly involved know, for sure, why Crosby hasn't yet signed an extension many expected would be announced over a month ago. It now seems what was a "nothing-to-see-here" matter as of late July could soon become one of the more interesting NHL offseason stories in recent memory.