The Pittsburgh Penguins plan to keep Sidney Crosby for his whole career and build a team that can compete.

PITTSBURGH – It’s no secret that the stars of the Pittsburgh Penguins are in their ladder years and nearing the end of their careers. All three of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang are over the age of 36 and have been a force in the NHL for nearly two decades.

Before the 2022-23 season, Malkin and Letang signed new contracts that are aimed to keep them with the Penguins for the last years of their careers. Crosby is eligible for a similar contract extension when free agency opens this offseason.

Early reports have indicated that the Penguins very much want to sign Crosby as soon as possible and secure his role as a Penguin for life. With one year remaining on his current deal, an extension doesn’t need to be signed, but Crosby deserves that guarantee.

Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic spoke with Penguins president and general manager Kyle Dubas about Crosby’s future. Dubas said that the goal was not only to keep Crosby around but also to make sure the team around him could contend for the Stanley Cup.

“I think everyone’s been pretty clear on where they stand on the fact everyone would like to see him end his career in Pittsburgh,” Dubas told The Athletic. “It’s my intention that in those years that we’re back and definitively contending.’’

Dubas noted he would focus on making the Penguins a younger team with players who would come in and support the cause right away. Whether by trade or free agency, Dubas is looking for skilled youth to help contribute in Crosby’s final years.

Crosby may be aging, but he’s still one of the NHL's most dominant players. His work down the stretch of this season will show what he is still capable of.

Almost everyone wants to see Crosby end his career with the Penguins. Some talking heads outside of Pittsburgh may plead for Crosby to find a new home and compete for another Cup, but all signs point to him spending his whole career with the Penguins.

Crosby has a chance to achieve an extremely rare feat across all sports: spend an entire Hall of Fame career with just one team. He’d follow in the footsteps of his former mentor Mario Lemieux and childhood idol Steve Yzerman, who are some of the most notable names to do so in the NHL.

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