Sidney Crosby reveals massive news about Penguins future, possible retirement

A March report revealed that there was "a belief within the" Pittsburgh Penguins that superstar captain Sidney Crosby "might stick around for a while." 

However, Crosby raised eyebrows when he said shortly after the Penguins were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the rival Philadelphia Flyers that he was embracing a year-by-year approach regarding his career. Crosby is currently under contract only through the 2026-27 season, so some wondered if he had hinted in April that he was preparing to ride off into the sunset of retirement next year. 

During a recent chat with Josh Yohe of The Athletic, Crosby insisted he is "not at all" thinking about retiring after next season. 

Sidney Crosby wants to give "flexibility" to Penguins

"I said year to year because of where the team is at," Crosby explained. "It just makes sense, whether it’s our cap, who we have coming in and out, just to have that flexibility. It’s important." 

Crosby will turn 39 years old in August, but he showed this past campaign that he can still be a key contributor for a postseason club. Per ESPN stats, he led the Penguins for the 2025-26 regular season with 74 points (29 goals) that he tallied over 68 games. 

"It’s pretty obvious why I would just go year to year with the contracts," Crosby continued. "At the end of the day, I’m just going to do what’s best for the team. It’s got nothing to do with how long I want to play. It’s not like that at all."

How many more seasons does Sidney Crosby have in the tank? 

Interestingly, Crosby suggested that he and Penguins president of hockey operations/general manager Kyle Dubas could speak this offseason about the three-time Stanley Cup champion possibly inking an extension. 

"If it does make sense to sign for a couple of years," Crosby added, "then we’ll do that." 

Such a comment indicates Crosby still plans to play only for the Penguins before he retires. It sounds like such a retirement announcement may not come for some time. 

"I definitely want to keep playing for as many years as possible," Crosby told Yohe. 

With that out of the way, Crosby and Co. will wait to see if the Penguins will re-sign fellow franchise icon and friend Evgeni Malkin this offseason.