The talk of the summer for Penguins’ fans has been captain Sidney Crosby’s extension that has not happened yet.
Well, Pittsburgh, you can take a breath: It appears you won’t have to wait much longer.
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At the 2024 NHL Player Media Tour today, Crosby spoke openly for the first time this summer regarding the status of a contract extension before the season.
“I’m pretty optimistic it’s going to get done,” Crosby told reporters. “I don’t know what day, specifically, but it’s been really positive. It hasn’t been a difficult process at all. So I’m pretty optimistic that something will get done.”
Sidney Crosby said that he’s “pretty optimistic” that a contract extension is going to get done before the start of the season. #NHLPlayerMediaTour
— Michael Traikos (@Michael_Traikos) September 9, 2024
Many fans and media expected a contract to be finalized as early as July 1, the first day Crosby became eligible to sign an extension. When July 1 passed, then August 1, then September 1, there was some chatter about whether or not Crosby was entirely certain about staying in Pittsburgh for, presumably, the remainder of his career.
Just a few days ago, Sportsnet and HNIC’s Elliotte Friedman reported on his 32 Thoughts Podcast that Crosby could be “coming to grips” with Pittsburgh potentially not being competitive anymore and needed time to ponder his future:
Cont’d: “My prediction is he stays cause I think he’s a Penguin, and he wants to be a Penguin…What one player said to me is, hey, he still wants to win badly, and we know we’re turning it over a bit here, I think he’s coming to grips with that”
— NHL Watcher (@NHL_Watcher) September 7, 2024
Of course, this sent Hockey Twitter into a firestorm, and talk of the captain moving to greener pastures was reignited.
But the story has always remained the same: Crosby wants to be a Penguin, and he wants to remain with one team his whole career.
Related: Opinion: Sidney Crosby’s Future is Presumably Clear – But That’s Not For Us to Decide
It was reported by The Athletic’s Rob Rossi a few months ago. It’s been reiterated by Crosby himself – as well as GM and POHO Kyle Dubas – many times over. Those of us here at THN – Pittsburgh have written about it several times this summer.
And, yet another time, Crosby himself is saying it: His intention is to sign an extension to remain with the Pittsburgh Penguins. That much is clear.
So – once again, Pittsburgh – you can take a breath, have some patience, and let the rest of the “not-at-all-difficult” process play out.
87 will almost certainly be here to stay.
Related: 3 Personal Milestones Sidney Crosby is Still Chasing With the Penguins
Related: Five reasons to be optimistic about the Penguins in 2024-25
