Pittsburgh Penguins superstar captain Sidney Crosby has told just about anybody who will listen in recent years that he never intends to play for another NHL team before he rides off into the sunset of retirement.
However, the fact that he has only one season remaining on his existing contract heading into Pittsburgh’s campaign opener against the Philadelphia Flyers on Sept. 30 has sparked some chatter regarding his future.
Per Josh Yohe of The Athletic, Crosby was asked on Tuesday if he could sign an extension before the puck drops on the final day of the month.
“Hard to project” how much longer Sidney Crosby will play
“I don’t know,” Crosby responded. “I’m going to let [agent Pat Brisson] and [Penguins president of hockey operations/general manager Kyle Dubas] figure that out. I wouldn’t say there’s a hard timeline. It’s something that I’ll let them discuss. At this point in my career, it’s hard to project how long I’ll play for. We’ll see what happens.”
While Crosby turned 39 years old on Aug. 7, there’s no indication he is about to enter a “Last Dance” season. ESPN stats show that he led the Penguins for the 2025-26 campaign with 74 points (29 goals) over 68 games. Meanwhile, an August update suggested that his next deal will “likely” be for an additional “one or two” seasons.
“I’m comfortable with them having the conversations,” Crosby said of Brisson and Dubas. “I just want to focus on playing.”
When will Sidney Crosby know it’s time to retire?
The grey in Crosby’s hair is noticeable and serves as a reminder that he is closer to retirement than to his physical prime. While members of the hockey community and Pittsburgh fans have taken to calling him “ageless,” the three-time Stanley Cup champion now finds himself fielding questions about when he may know he wants to call time on his legendary career.
“I think it’s a combination of everything,” Crosby said. “You talk to guys who are later in their careers, and I think it’s different for everyone. I don’t think you ever know until you get to that point. I’m guessing it’s your level (of play), how your body feels, a combination of things.”
Crosby added that he feels “pretty good” and is currently “happy with how I feel.” Pens fans will hope that continues to be the case through the winter months.