Concern arises in the absence of extension talks for Sidney Crosby

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Cooper Godin
July 5, 2024 (12:23)

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Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is not wanting to rush into signing a contract extension this summer, which is causing a bit of worry among some fans.

It's hard to envision what the Pittsburgh Penguins would look like without Sidney Crosby on their roster. He's been the heart and soul of the Pittsburgh Penguins since entering the league back in October 2005 and while he became eligible to sign a contract extension earlier this week, it doesn't appear that Crosby's in any rush.

In a recent article in the Toronto Star, former NHLer Nick Kypreos shared that Sidney Crosby is in no rush to put pen to paper on a new contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Kypreos added that there likely won't be any news on this front in the next week, but both sides are talking.

"Eyebrows were raised when the Penguins did not announce a contract extension for Sidney Crosby on July 1, and there isn't one expected this week. Word is that while both sides are in conversation, there is no rush from Crosby's side. Read into that however you want." Kypreos said.

Crosby, 36, is one of the best to ever lace up the skates in the National Hockey League and when all is said and done, there's no question that he could be considered as a top-five player of all-time. Throughout his 19 seasons in the National Hockey League, all with Pittsburgh, Crosby has hoisted the Stanley Cup three times and is second all-time in team history for goals (592), assists (1,004) and points (1,596), behind the legendary Mario Lemieux in all three categories.

While it's very likely that Crosby and the Penguins will agree to a contract extension at some point before the start of the 2024-25 season, if he doesn't re-sign and hits the free agent market, one team that should be all over this is the Vancouver Canucks.

The Canucks' connections to the Pittsburgh Penguins are well known at this point and all three of Patrik Allvin, Jim Rutherford and Rick Tocchet have spent time with Crosby in the organization, so the comfortability of being with people he knows could be enticing, IF, and that's a strong if, the Cole Harbour native leaves next summer. Adding a veteran like Sidney Crosby who is still producing at a high level and has plenty of experience would be quite valuable to a Canucks team just entering their window of contending for a Stanley Cup.

Source: Blade of Steel
Sidney Crosby 'in no rush' to sign contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins

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