- Kyle Dubas says there’s no deadline on a new deal for Sidney Crosby
- Crosby is entering the final year of his contract with an $8.7 million cap hit
- Read below for Dubas’ full answer and video of the press conference
The Penguins aren’t sweating Sidney Crosby’s next contract.
Kyle Dubas held his season-opening press conference Monday and got asked where things stand with the captain, and whether Pittsburgh wants something done soon. The GM said he talks with Crosby’s agent, Pat Brisson, all the time and nobody has circled a date on the calendar.
“It’s always an open back-and-forth,” Dubas said. “And I don’t feel, from our end, that there’s any real pressure to have it done by a certain date. We’ll just continue to talk.”
Watch Dubas’ answer on Crosby, which starts around the 23:40 mark of the press conference video:
Crosby, 39, is heading into the last season of the two-year, $17.4 million extension he signed on Sept. 16, 2024. That deal expires after 2026-27.
Dubas explained that contract talks look different for a player at this stage. Once a star reaches his late 30s, he said, the process becomes less about deadlines and more about how the player feels during the season and whether he likes where the team is headed.
He isn’t worried about the physical side with Crosby, either.
“I don’t think there’s any indication that Sid’s going to be in a poor place physically because of the preparation that he puts into it,” Dubas said.
Crosby is on the same page. He was asked about his contract when he delivered season tickets on Sept. 15 and said he’s leaving it to the front office.
“I’m comfortable with them having the conversations,” Crosby said. “I just want to focus on playing and they’ll handle that.”
Check out Crosby’s full media availability from that day:
Ten days later, Crosby talked about why he doesn’t look too far down the road at this point in his career.
“I mean, I can’t predict how I’m going to feel in January, so I’m not going to try,” he said.
Age hasn’t slowed him down much yet. Crosby led Pittsburgh with 74 points (29 goals, 45 assists) in 68 games last season, pushing his NHL record to 21 seasons averaging a point per game. The Penguins finished second in the Metropolitan and returned to the playoffs after a three-year absence before the Flyers knocked them out in six games.
Two other Penguins veterans are in contract years too. Erik Karlsson is in the final season of his eight-year, $92 million deal, and Evgeni Malkin is on a one-year, $5.5 million contract.
Dubas had a lot less to say about Malkin, telling reporters he’s not doing the “year-by-year thing” with him again this season. Karlsson said nothing has been discussed on his end, while Dubas called those talks “very direct” and open.
Crosby opens his 22nd NHL season Wednesday when the Penguins visit the Flyers.
