Analyst gives Penguins strong advice over Sidney Crosby’s contract extension

By Evan Bell

Modified Aug 06, 2024 17:01 GMT

The upcoming NHL season will be Sidney Crosby's 20th season with the Pittsburgh Penguins after being drafted first overall in the 2005 draft. Assuming Crosby stays healthy, he's likely to move up on the all-time list of most games played with a single team. Despite his age, Crosby has continued to impress with his durability and sustained level of play.

After the upcoming 2024–25 season, Crosby will be an unrestricted free agent. There has been quite a bit of talk regarding a potential extension; however, so far, nothing has been finalized. NHL analyst Mark Madden believes that if a contract extension doesn't happen this week, there's plenty of room to speculate.

“If he doesn’t, I think we can start wondering," Madden said on Monday. "If he’s not signed, this is something that drags on all year. It’s gonna drive him crazy, so he will sign the contract, just to avoid that. Honestly, if he doesn’t sign the contract, they should trade him this year.”

Over the past two seasons, Crosby has skated in all 82 games, logging 93 points in the 2022–23 season and 94 points in the 2023–24 season.

"It just makes the season a mess": Mark Madden discusses Sidney Crosby's potential extension

Given that Sidney Crosby has spent his entire career with Pittsburgh, the odds are that an extension will likely come to fruition sooner rather than later. Throughout this summer, there has been no real indication that Crosby wants to play elsewhere.

Additionally, if the team is preparing for a potential trade, they have played their cards close to the vest. As Evgeni Malkin, a fellow member of the Penguins core, explained late last month, it's hard to understand a world where Crosby and the Penguins part ways.

The way Mark Madden sees things, it's in the franchise's best interest to finalize a Sidney Crosby extension sooner rather than later.

“If he doesn’t sign the contract and they start the season with him being a pending free agent, it just makes the season a mess from the beginning of training camp,” Madden said.

Sidney Crosby is likely to sign an extension, with indications that he could sign a three-year deal to carry him to his 40th birthday.