A birthday without big news is not unusual for most NHL players.
Sidney Crosby is different.
He’s famously fond of his birth date — Aug. 7, 1987 — and wears No. 87 because of it. For that reason, many fans of the Pittsburgh Penguins anticipated Wednesday would bring an announcement of Crosby’s anticipated new contract with the franchise where he has spent the past 19 seasons.
However, Crosby’s 37th birthday was never a target date for a new deal that he and the team remain confident will be signed, multiple Penguins and league sources said. The sources were granted anonymity so they could speak freely about the process.
Crosby has told close friends he intends to re-sign with the Penguins and that he, agent Pat Brisson and Penguins hockey president/general manager Kyle Dubas are largely aligned about details of a new contract; however, his priority this offseason has been on training for the upcoming season.
There are “no issues at all” between Crosby and the Penguins, a league source said.
Unlike last offseason, the Penguins have not made any splashy additions in free agency or with trades. Though the Penguins remain the NHL’s oldest roster in terms of average age, they appear set to enter training camp with younger players in position to challenge for roles in the top and bottom six and on defense.
Crosby is in the final season of a 12-year deal that counts $8.7 million against the salary cap but pays him only $3 million in actual salary. He was eligible to sign a new contract on July 1, and The Athletic reported shortly after that Crosby and the Penguins were closing in on that deal.
Not much has changed since that report, as all sides agreed to step away to recharge — comfortable that negotiations could wrap quickly when talks resume.
All parties agree that a delay in finalizing a new contract for Crosby naturally leads to speculation that a deal will not get done. And there is some concern from those on the Penguins’ business side that the lack of a new contract at this point is a challenge for potential sponsorships and season-ticket sales.
The Penguins have fallen just short of the last two Stanley Cup playoffs after qualifying for a franchise-record 16 consecutive years (2007-22).
One of FSG’s first edicts was for previous management to retain popular stars Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, and later ownership added three years to Mike Sullivan’s contract, keeping him among the league’s highest-paid coaches. Last summer, Dubas was hired to run hockey operations, receiving a seven-year contract that made him one of hockey’s top-paid bosses.
Locking up Crosby has always been FSG’s top priority, and the actual money is “not an issue,” a team source said.
The structure of Crosby’s new contract is tricky because of the collective bargaining agreement signed by the NHL and its Players Association in 2020.
Crosby’s next deal will be designated “35-plus,” limiting the cap relief Crosby can provide the Penguins. A multi-season 35-plus contract cannot contain signing bonuses beyond Year 1 or include a year-to-year salary decrease, and a player’s full cap hit will apply for the remainder of that contract upon early retirement. Assigning a player on a 35-plus contract to the minors would result in only $100,000 in cap savings.
Crosby has counted only $8.7 million against the cap on his past two contracts, granting the Penguins his services at a perceived below-market level for the past 16 seasons. He is unsure exactly how long he wants to keep playing and “doesn’t want to put (the Penguins) in a bad spot” if he signs a longer deal and doesn’t play it out in full, a source close to Crosby said.
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Malkin not planning to retire early
Evgeni Malkin intends to honor his current contract, which has two years remaining at a $6.1 million annual cap hit.
Malkin said he has “not thought about” retiring a year early, despite a report that he would make the upcoming season his last with the Penguins and in the NHL.
“Not true,” Malkin said.
Malkin, 38, is coming off the lowest points-per-game production of his career (0.82), but has also played in every game each of the last two seasons. He had tinkered with his offseason training in Moscow to focus on his skating — a key, he feels, to more consistent production.
With two goals and four points this season, Malkin is poised to hit the exclusive 500-goal/1,300-point club that includes only 29 players in league history. He would be only the second Russian and sixth European player to score at least that many goals and points in the NHL.
Broadcast update
The Penguins are interviewing candidates to replace Steve Mears for their radio network’s play-by-play duties. Mears was hired to helm the Columbus Blue Jackets’ television broadcasts.
The Penguins never considered a simulcast using SportsNet Pittsburgh’s television broadcast team.
Color commentators Phil Bourque, Mike Rupp and Colby Armstrong will rotate between TV duties with Josh Getzoff and whomever the Penguins hire for radio. Bourque, a radio mainstay for two decades, will work more TV games than he did last season.
Penguins’ new liaison with FSG
Teddy Werner has assumed an alternate governor role with the Penguins amid Dave Beeston’s recent departure from Fenway Sports Group.
Werner is senior vice president for Fenway Sports Management and will serve as Fenway Sports Group’s liaison to the Penguins, as Beeston had done the previous two-plus seasons. Werner has extensive experience working with a professional team, having held various roles with MLB’s Milwaukee Brewers. He is the son of FSG chairman Tom Werner.
(Photo of Sidney Crosby: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)
