Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby has been a model of consistency ever since he entered the NHL in 2005. 

Crosby has played 21 NHL seasons and has scored over a point per game in all of them. He has also won everything there is to win in hockey and will go down as one of the five best players ever when he retires. 

He helped the Penguins return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs this past season and was great when he was healthy, compiling 29 goals and 74 points in 68 games. He would've been closer to hitting 90+ points for a fourth-straight season if he didn't miss time after the 2026 Winter Olympics with a sprained MCL. 

Crosby's entering his 22nd NHL season in 2026-27 and the final year of his current contract. His focus remains on getting the Penguins back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs again and trying to win a fourth Stanley Cup. 

He'll be 39 for this season, but I still see him having another point-per-game season because that's who he is. Crosby may not be able to carry the Penguins in the playoffs on his own anymore, but he's still good enough to get them there and have plenty of great performances along the way. 

He's still spectacular in all facets of his offensive game and has eyes in the back of his head, especially when he's behind the net. That place has been his office throughout his entire career, and that's not about to change. 

At 5v5, he's expected to play alongside Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell again, assuming both are still with the Penguins when the season starts. Rust and Rakell have been in trade rumors again this offseason, but Penguins general manager/president Kyle Dubas hasn't been persuaded enough to move one of them. Crosby is super comfortable with both players, showcasing some great chemistry with them. 

When it comes to the power play, Crosby will unquestionably be on the top unit alongside some of the other Penguins' top players, including Evgeni Malkin and Erik Karlsson. 10 of Crosby's 29 goals last season came on the man-advantage, and he's still deadly as ever if opposing penalty killers give him time and space to find open players. His ability to thread the needle with passes is still absurd. 

Don't forget about some more milestones, either. Crosby became the Penguins' all-time leader in points last season when he passed Mario Lemieux and is set for even more this year. 

He ranks seventh in NHL history in points with 1,761 and is 11 points away from passing Marcel Dionne for sixth on the list. He's also only 38 points away from passing Ron Francis for fifth on the list and is only 39 away from 1,800 for his career.

There's a real chance that he could finish his career with close to 2,000 points, which would put him in the top three. Jaromir Jagr is second all-time with 1,921 points, while Mark Messier is third all-time with 1,887 points. 

Crosby is also only three assists away from passing Joe Thornton for seventh on the NHL's all-time assists list. He needs 29 more to pass Paul Coffey for sixth and 49 more to pass Jagr for fifth. Heck, he might pass all three players this season, considering that he finished last season with 45 assists in only 68 games. 

It's going to be as exciting as ever to watch Crosby suit up for his 22nd NHL season. The Penguins are the only team he has ever known, and that's never going to change. He's a Penguin for life. 

It may be a couple of months away right now, but Sept. 30 will be here before you know it.

Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!