I don't, and won't have, a subscription, so are you able to give the bullet points?
It’s a worthless article with no bullet points but here you go for some of it…lol
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I believe Crosby will sign a contract with the Penguins before training camp begins. I’d be stunned if it doesn’t happen.
Still, the longer this goes, the stranger it becomes.
What’s so complicated?
If you’re Penguins president/general manager Kyle Dubas, you aren’t going to drive a hard bargain, right? Sure, it would be in the Penguins’ best interest if Crosby played for a hometown discount, and maybe he will. He’s been doing it for almost 20 years, after all. Dubas, though, isn’t in a position to play hardball with Crosby. This isn’t just another great player. This isn’t just another aging superstar. It’s the face of a franchise founded in show business and star power. It’s the face of the
NHL for most of his career. It’s the face of Team Canada. It’s one of the five greatest players in hockey history and still one of hockey’s best players in 2024.
You don’t show someone like him the door, nor do you lowball him. Dubas knows that. If Crosby wants to keep playing at $8.7 million annually, fine. If he wants to play for even less to help the team, great. If he wants a raise, whatever. He’s earned it and then some.
From Crosby’s point of view, none of this makes much sense, either. He’s on record saying he wants to play only for the Penguins…..
Under zero circumstances do the Penguins want to risk losing Crosby. For the sake of the on-ice product, for the Penguins brand and everything imaginable, keeping No. 87 in Pittsburgh until that number rises to the rafters is an undeniable priority.
So, why isn’t it being prioritized? What’s the holdup?
Dubas and Crosby’s agent, Pat Brisson, are busy. It’s summer. Hockey people go on vacation in the summer. Sure.
But they aren’t that busy. Crosby will always be Brisson’s most important client and Dubas’ most important player. Crosby was skating in Cranberry in July. It’s not like he hasn’t been around. No matter what else the Penguins and Brisson have going on, Crosby’s relationship with the Penguins is always a massive priority. Why, then, does something feel so off?
This isn’t good for ticket sales. It’s not good for corporate sponsorships. That lack of buzz around the Penguins right now is deafening, but it grows a little louder every day that passes without Crosby signing a new deal. He’s the Penguins’ heartbeat. He keeps the organization financially stable. He keeps coach Mike Sullivan’s product respectable, even if it’s not the team it once was. Hockey fans in Pittsburgh still get excited when summer nights turn a little chilly because they know hockey is right around the corner. Even if their favorite team is no longer a contender, they still get to watch Crosby play every night. And there’s something great about that.
Will he sign between now and the middle of September, when training camp begins? I have to assume so.
However, if Crosby arrives in Cranberry in September without a new contract, the Penguins will receive all kinds of buzz.
