Rumor: Pens, Crosby closing in on extension

[Henkka]

So sad, only won more Cups than Lemieux and is sticking around to help the next wave during the rebuild. Truly tragic, thanks for your concern.

What rebuild? Pens rebuild hasn't even started yet.

It still that old core trying to be successful.

A bit worse team than last season.

Team has regressed every year, and this death spiral will last for a decade, until a rise up.

2021 - 112p (pace)
2022 - 103p
2023 - 91p (out of the playoffs)
2024 - 88p (out of the playoffs)
2025 - 80-85p range (estimation)

Crosby should be playing in a contender. Not get stuck on a sinking Titanic for next 4 years.

Get future assets for him.

 

[General Fanager]

The contract is just to boost his value when he is surely traded.

 

[eco's bones]

4/5 years from now Crosby might still be a pretty good player. I don't think that way about Malkin, Letang or Karlsson. All those guys seem to me on the decline. Crosby's a legit top 10 player in the league still and maybe the best leader that any team has. If the Pens tried to move him to a contender at this point they would get a lot for sure but probably not enough value for what he would bring his new team.

 

[molon labe]

Always love and appreciation.

Though the article is fluff - as is the reporting of it - it's sort of a shame... To me it represents a fact that Sid is VERY likely to retire after 3 and on a 'down' note of 6 consecutive seasons without a playoff birth and with Drew O'Connor and Bryan Rust as his sunset line-mates.

His career, even without the 'what if' moments has been extraordinary and easily one of the greatest ever. The thing is, another team would have had him pad his resume with undeniably more regular season points (playing likely a lot less taxing minutes WITH better line-mates), certainly more post season points, and maybe - just maybe another cup(s). If that doesn't matter to him than it shouldn't to any of us.

Will be a sad day when he hangs them up.

 

[Saskatoon]

Crosby is one of those players you only trade if that is what he wants

If Crosby is content staying in Pittsburg as the team sinks all the power to him.

 

[ZDH]

The ownership and fans all want Sid/Geno to retire as Pens. If Sid walked, Dubas would be out of a job in moments.

That would honesrly be the best case scenario scenario for Pittsburgh (besides getting value for Crosby ofc).It'll never happen but it's clear Pittsburgh needs a scorched earth rebuild with a new GM who might not suck.

Instead it'll be 4-5 years of treading water until the scorched earth rebuild approach is taken. So contenders ~15 years from now. Pretty brutal spot.

 

[BLNY]

yeah because Guentzel is more valuable then the franchise's all time leader in games, 2nd all time leading scorer/ point scorer, face of the franchise and the guy who sells all the tickets, guy who spoke out REPEATEDLY he has no intentions or desire to leave actually legitimately loves the city, and stated from day one he planed to play his entire career here. [MOD]

The implication isn't that Guentzel has more value. It's that they didn't take steps to keep a player that Crosby wanted kept. That there's no coherency in the direction of the club.

 

[Gurglesons]

I'm a huge Crosby fan, but if the plan was to keep competing and contending for a cup, why trade Guentzel ? A guy who wanted to stay, elite winger who has great chemistry with Crosby. Just doesn't make sense, moving Guentzel suggested they're gonna rebuild, but then extending Crosby ? They will be too good to be a bottom team for a high pick, but not good enough to contend for a cup. This will just keep the Pens in no mans land, I don't understand it.

First problem with this line of thinking is that Guentzel wanted to extend in PIT.

Second problem is that even Graves who has the most term on PIT right now only has 5 years left. Giving Guentzel a 7-8 year deal at 9+ mil would have been a huge commitment compared to likely giving Sid 3-5.

 

[The Great Mighty Poo]

The implication isn't that Guentzel has more value. It's that they didn't take steps to keep a player that Crosby wanted kept. That there's no coherency in the direction of the club.

Guentzel had no desire to re-sign here, he told Dubas that when they met last the summer, he WANTED to test free agency

[MOD]

 

[molon labe]

I genuinely think some on this site have brain damage if you have to ask “why would you extend Crosby if you’re rebuilding?”.

Crosby has won literally everything he could possibly win in his career. Him being a Penguins lifer and guiding the next generation is worth far more than the return you’d get for trading him. It’s no different than when the Penguins kept Lemieux in the early 2000s.

They were never going to ask him to waive. That's not the premise - and if folks imply that, then they are way off base.

The point, I think, for most - is why Sid himself would want to stay here? I think a conservative estimation is that he is cutting his career short by 2 years, 200 regular season points, and 15-30 playoff points by staying in Pittsburgh. That's taking the under.

Again though, if it doesn't matter to Sid and he wants to retire in a couple years anyway - so be it. But it should not be understated just how much more taxing staying in Pittsburgh is going to be on his body and his overall stat line compared to almost any other team with a competent roster.

 

[Gurglesons]

That's sad. He will never accomplish anything significant as a Penguin, except individual points.

Maybe the target is 2000 career points.

Crosby will keep the team in mediocrity, when they should start tanking again. Their destiny will remind so much of 2017-2020 Red Wings...

It will create a long rebuild. Very long.

Yeah, it's been a rough career for Crosby in Pittsburgh. Only gonna finish in the top 10 of NHL players all time.

 

[Eternal Leaf]

I love the idea of iconic players remaining with one team.

 

[molon labe]

If the plan was to try and compete for another cup with Crosby, why trade his best winger ? Who's much younger and elite and wanted to stay there ? There's no clear direction, I don't understand what Dubas is doing.

Welcome to Pittsburgh Penguins Fandom!

Unless you have media credentials - then just gaslight away at 'the plan' - without ever being specific nor criticizing just what the hell the plan is.

 

[Killer Orcas]

There's something to be said when it's all said and done a player plays for one team his entire career.
Pro sports is scattered with legends that bailed on their team in their twilight for greener pastures only to end up tarnishing their legacy and becoming a bit of a joke.

With the cap going up massively, who's to say in two or three years the pens don't look a lot different than they do today? Odds are this group never adds another cup but it would be one hell of a story.
I'd much rather like to see the pens do it over TB after how the whole Stamkos saga played out.

Loyalty seems to be a fleeting thing and to me that kind of sucks.

You make a valid point about the loyalty and the one team legacy but I don't see this team competing in the next 5 years plus. Reason being Crosby, Malkin ,Letang and EK will make them just good enough not to be cellar dwellers but not a playoff team. They will not get top talent barring miracle later picks which could happen indeed but highly unlikely. Would be an amazing story he stays and they win again for sure I agree. Regardless if this is what he wishes then all the power to him and congrats on keeping him Pens fans.

 

[Seedtype]

You gotta respect someone who wants to stay with one team for his entire career.

(Seriously, someone needs to perform Inception on him so he'll want to sign somewhere in the West, arrghh... He eats us alive all the time, heh)

 

[ffh]

Thought he was going to Montreal

 

[BLNY]

Guentzel had no desire to re-sign here, he told Dubas that when they met last the summer, he WANTED to test free agency, as I already stated how he hell is that so difficult for you people to comprehend or understand?

Don't get pissy. Any desire to test the market has nothing to do with his value to the club or being on the same level. YOU brought up value. Any commentary you made about WANTING to test the market is NOT in the post I quoted - which was edited by mods.

 

[mattyboy]

Part of being a general manager is to make ownership happy. Dubas is walking a tightrope as far as his roster is concerned.

I thought he left Leafs because he wanted full autonomy with major decision making?
He couldn’t move a core leafs player and joins the Pens and it’s now the same situation? Yikes.

 

[KingsFan7824]

Get future assets for him.

You don't get any future assets for a 37 year old. Especially if he'd rather just stay. Plus if he did go somewhere, he'd be picking exactly where.

Yeah, trading him would make your own 1st rd pick higher. However, there are many drafts to come. There's always another hot shot 18 year old prospect to select. You have forever to rebuild. You get one Crosby. If they have to push a real rebuild off for a few years so they and/or he can say Crosby did it all in one jersey, it's stupid, it's romantic, it's sentimental, but that's not always bad.

As great as Lemieux was, he got just the 2 Cups. And only after Jagr got there. It took Crosby a good while to get that 2nd Cup. A lot of injuries, but that's part of it. You never know how things will go. Even if the Pens end up with the best player in a generation, again, somewhere down the line, maybe they get just 1 Cup, if that.

 

[Gregor Samsa]

He’s not like Ray Bourque, he has 3 cups so I don’t get the cup chase comments

 

[HFpapi]

Pens attending the Chicago Blackhawks school of "let's piss away our future to say thanks to players for 3 cups."

Crosby is a legend so I'm happy he's getting whatever he wants if staying in Pitt is indeed that but management should view winning hockey clubs as their job first and foremost.

They will miss playoffs for the remaining 4 years Crosby's career (bringing it to 6 straight misses) and then post Crosby/Malkin will be one of the worst teams in the league for god knows how long since they have no prospects or good young players. This could end up as like a 15 year playoff drought kinda ineptitude.

People laughed but approaching Crosby with a trade to the Avs when they badly needed a #2 C and had cap space made so much sense. Could have gotten one or two 1st round picks and a decent prospect and commit to the rebuild asap.

Why does a competitive guy like Crosby want to miss the playoffs for 6 straight years anyways as opposed to chasing cups?

 

[IcedCapp]

I'm a huge Crosby fan, but if the plan was to keep competing and contending for a cup, why trade Guentzel ? A guy who wanted to stay, elite winger who has great chemistry with Crosby. Just doesn't make sense, moving Guentzel suggested they're gonna rebuild, but then extending Crosby ? They will be too good to be a bottom team for a high pick, but not good enough to contend for a cup. This will just keep the Pens in no mans land, I don't understand it.

because Guentzel wouldn't negotiate during the season. Because the Pens said, 'we want you back, let's sign an extension' and Jake's camp said 'in the off-season' and the Pens said, "if you don't negotiate now, we can't risk you leaving for nothing and we will trade you,' and Jake's camp said "okay."

I hope you understand it now

 

[Empoleon8771]

For the people asking "what direction are the Penguins going in?", you need to realize that a "tear down rebuild" and "going for a cup" are two extreme ends of the spectrum. The Penguins direction has been made clear by Dubas: a gradual sell-off while trying to field a competitive team. They're trying to maintain a playoff team while selling off pieces they can't afford to re-sign or redundant pieces. They'll keep the core together and use UFA and the young players they've added to make the team hopefully a playoff team.

They're not going to do a tear-down rebuild, at least not yet. That won't start for another 2-3 years.

 

[frightenedinmatenum2]

Staying to mentor the next generation could be a form of winning in itself. It's a different kind of job, and a different challenge to saying go out there and win another cup. I'd be curious if that is the mentality, assuming they are actually rebuilding.

Look at what Lemieux did for Crosby, both on (for a short time) and off the ice. That is how his career started. I wonder if he looks back at that and has a similar mentality about staying with the organization and carrying it forward.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Pens attending the Chicago Blackhawks school of "let's piss away our future to say thanks to players for 3 cups."

How are the Penguins "pissing away their future" with the strategy they've laid out?

From every indication I've seen, they're not going to be trading futures anymore to make the team as good as possible. They're just not trading their core.