Penguins A to Z: Sidney Crosby remains the future
With the Penguins in the midst of their offseason, the Tribune-Review is looking at all 49 players currently under NHL contracts to the organization in alphabetical order, from mid-level prospect Niclas Almari to top-six winger Jason Zucker.
Sidney Crosby
Position: Center
Shoots: Left
Age: 33
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 200 pounds
2020-21 NHL statistics: 55 games, 62 points (24 goals, 38 assists)
Contract: Eighth year of a 12-year contract with a salary cap hit of $8.7 million. Pending unrestricted free agent in 2025
Acquired: First-round draft pick (No. 1 overall), July 30, 2005
2020-21 season: There were plenty of reasons to celebrate Sidney Crosby this past season.
Namely, the occasion of his 1,000th career game on Feb. 20. The milestone was almost as profound for the franchise as it was for its captain.
Another source of jubilation for Crosby and the Penguins? He was healthy for the entire season virtually, albeit a shortened one.
Crosby missed only one game as a result of being placed on the NHL’s list of absences related to Covid-19 protocols on March 2.
That came in stark contrast to his 2019-20 campaign when he missed 28 of 69 regular season games due to a core muscle ailment.
Primarily teamed on the top line with wingers Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust, Crosby offered a typically thorough and prolific performance as he led the Penguins in goals and assists for the first time since the 2016-17 season.
For his efforts in all areas of the game, Crosby was named as a finalist for the Ted Lindsay Award, an honor that recognizes the most outstanding player in the NHL as voted on by members of the NHL Players’ Association (NHLPA).
In the playoffs, Crosby was underwhelming, even by his own admission, as the Penguins fell to the New York Islanders in six games during the first round. Hemmed in by the Islanders’ top defensive pairing of Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock as well as checking line center Casey Cizikas, Crosby was limited to a goal and an assist.
The future: Any notion of the Penguins beginning a rebuilding project after a third consecutive season without a playoff series victory appeared to be quashed by general manager Ron Hextall who suggested he sees “a future” for the Penguins core (i.e. Crosby, forward Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang) on June 2.
That comment was more applicable to Malkin and Letang as they’re entering the final year of their individual contracts. There is likely no other player in the NHL who has the sway to command what zip code he conducts business in quite like Crosby.
But as he turns 34 in August, it’s fair to wonder what he has left. Especially after he was simply outskated for scoring chances by the likes of mid-card talents such as Islanders forward Anthony Beauvillier in the playoffs.
To be clear, Crosby is nothing close to being a liability at this stage of his career. His obsessive nature in smoothing out all the wrinkles to his non-pareil game allows him to combat the realities of being in his mid-30s better than the vast majority of NHLers.
As long as he is wearing a Penguins jersey, Crosby will likely be the best player on the ice for either team, even if he’s a step or two removed from the prime of his late 20s.
Crosby will remain the Penguins’ future as long as he chooses.
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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