Penguins' Sidney Crosby hints how much longer he'll play

Pittsburgh Penguins superstar captain Sidney Crosby remains on track to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 of next year but said at a media event on Monday he's "pretty optimistic" he will sign an extension with the club. 

Crosby turned 37 years old in August and previously suggested he would call time on his playing career before he celebrated his 40th birthday. It sounds like he's experienced at least somewhat of a change of heart regarding that subject. 

"I don't want to look too far ahead," Crosby said during the latest edition of Sportsnet's "32 Thoughts" podcast. "To predict that now is impossible, but I would say I'm more open to getting to that point [of playing at age 40]."

Crosby pushed for the Penguins to re-sign center Evgeni Malkin and defenseman Kris Letang a couple of summers ago, and they became the longest-tenured trio of teammates in North American professional sports history last October. However, the aging Penguins missed the playoffs in back-to-back years before team president/general manager Kyle Dubas began a necessary roster rebuild ahead of the upcoming campaign. 

"I want to see what separates teams that make it and teams that don't," Crosby said about following the Stanley Cup Playoffs this past spring. "It's not really a lot of fun watching the playoffs. You want to find a way to get back there."

As of early Wednesday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Penguins at +120 odds to make the playoffs next spring. Such forecasts coupled with Crosby's curious lack of an extension understandably have some wondering if he could allow himself to become a rental for a contender early next year and then re-sign with the Penguins in July 2025. 

"The biggest thing when I think about our team is our culture," Crosby said about the Penguins still being able to compete for Stanley Cup titles with their "big three" on the roster. 

That's all well and good, but nervous Pittsburgh fans won't feel better about Crosby's short-term future until an extension is confirmed by both parties.