Penguins’ Sidney Crosby ‘Pretty Optimistic’ About Possible Extension

Sidney Crosby doesn’t currently have a deal in place with the Pittsburgh Penguins, but he’s still “pretty optimistic” one will get done.

The NHL/NHLPA player media tour continued Monday, where Crosby shared his belief that a contract extension will be agreed upon before the team opens the regular season on Oct. 9 against the New York Rangers.

“I’m pretty optimistic it’s going to get done,” Crosby said in Las Vegas, per league-provided video. “I don’t know what day specifically, but it’s been really positive. It hasn’t been a difficult process at all.”

Crosby has been eligible to sign an extension since July 1, but the figures haven’t been there for both sides. Pittsburgh’s captain is set to enter the final season of a 12-year, $104.4 million deal he signed in 2013 — which carries an $8.7 million salary cap hit. The Penguins made the playoffs each season from 2007 through 2022 but missed out on the last two springs trying to retool an aging core led by Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson

“We’ve been right there,” the 37-year-old said. “We finished really strong. We all felt pretty good about hanging in there the way that we did. We’re just hoping that we can be a little more consistent in a few areas.”

Crosby is coming off a 42-goal, 94-point campaign that saw him finish tied for 12th in the league scoring race. He was named one of Canada’s first six players for the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament in February — leading a unit that also includes Connor McDavid, Cale Makar, Nathan MacKinnon, Brad Marchand and Brayden Point.

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