The Pittsburgh Penguins have no plans of letting people in on negotiations with Sidney Crosby,

PITTSBURGH – One of, if not the most important, free agent targets for the Pittsburgh Penguins isn’t even at the end of his contract. Sidney Crosby is set to enter the final year of his deal, which makes him eligible to sign an extension with the Penguins.

President and general manager Kyle Dubas has said that keeping Crosby in Pittsburgh is a top priority, and ownership agrees with that statement. While rumors of Crosby’s departure may have swirled during the season, the opening of free agency will likely put an end to that talk.

It’s not a guarantee Crosby signs an extension a year in advance, but negotiations appear underway. During his end-of-season press conference, Dubas said talks will remain as private as possible between himself, Crosby, and agent Pat Brisson.

At the NHL Scouting Combine, Dubas doubled down on keeping things hush.

“We want to keep that as quiet as possible and go through it," Dubas told NHL.com. “Hopefully, as we get through this summer, get a sense where everybody's at and then let everybody know at the right time."

With no one opening up about negotiations, the most anyone can do is speculate about Crosby’s next contract. Crosby will be 37 when the 2024-25 season starts and 38 when a new contract begins.

Crosby has fought off age-related decline for so long already, but eventually, it will catch up to him. A shorter deal, around two or three years, would make the most sense.

As for the dollar amount, Crosby is entitled to any number he pleases. If he wants to stay at his $8.7 million, that's outstanding for the Penguins. If he wishes to get a raise in the final years of his career, he deserves it.

Early guesses have pinned Crosby to at least a $10 million cap hit, which would make him the 18^th active player to reach that number annually.

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