Sidney Crosby wants to keep playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins. He just can't tell anyone exactly how many years that means.
Crosby confirmed contract talks are already underway between his agent, Pat Brisson, and GM Kyle Dubas.
He's entering the final season of his current two-year deal, and nothing about his tone suggests he's preparing to walk away.
"I would like to continue playing for a number of years," Crosby said, at 39 years old and still Pittsburgh's best player.
The problem is he genuinely doesn't know what that number should be.
Crosby admitted projecting his body year to year gets harder at this stage, and he hasn't ruled out either a short-term bridge deal or another multiyear contract.
There's no deadline pushing this along either. Crosby said he doesn't know if a deal gets done before camp or before the season even starts.
Why Pittsburgh has zero reason to force this decision
If Crosby were declining, this would be simple. He isn't.
He led Pittsburgh with 74 points in 68 games last season, extending his streak of point-per-game seasons to 21, an NHL record.
Pittsburgh also finished 41-25-16 for 98 points, 10th overall, and made the playoffs for the first time in four seasons under head coach Dan Muse.
Crosby called that playoff run a season that outperformed expectations, and he believes it raised the bar heading into this year.
There's also a bigger motivation sitting behind all of this. Crosby still has the 2028 World Cup of Hockey in his sights, representing Canada again at age 41.
That timeline alone gives his next contract an interesting shape, whether Pittsburgh leans short-term or commits multiple years.
Neither side knows exactly how many seasons are left in this. That uncertainty, more than anything, is what makes these next few months worth watching closely.
Should the Penguins sign Sidney Crosby to another multiyear contract?
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