Pens to keep Crosby talks 'as quiet as possible'

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is eligible to sign a contract extension this summer, but don't expect to hear much buzz about it.

"The key for us is, because of the importance of it and how much Sid means to the organization and the city, we want to keep that as quiet as possible and go through it," general manager Kyle Dubas told NHL.com's Adam Kimelman. "And then, hopefully, as we get through this summer, get a sense where everybody's at and then let everybody know at the right time."

Crosby is set to enter the final season of a 12-year, $104.4-million contract, which pays him $8.7 million annually. The soon-to-be 37-year-old was Pittsburgh's best player by a landslide in 2023-24, leading the club with 94 points while averaging 20 minutes per night over 82 games.

Despite Crosby's excellence - and Dubas pulling off a blockbuster trade to bring in Erik Karlsson - the Penguins missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season and the third time in Crosby's 19-year career.

Following the disappointing campaign, Dubas made it clear he hopes Crosby finishes his career in Pittsburgh. After dealing Crosby's longtime linemate Jake Guentzel before the trade deadline, Dubas stated he intends to make the Penguins contenders again for Crosby's final years rather than embark on a full rebuild with the three-time Stanley Cup champion still in the fold.

The Penguins will enter the offseason with approximately $13.2 million in financial wiggle room, according to CapFriendly. Dubas said the mission for the club over the summer is to find young talent.

"The major focus for us is on right now acquiring as many young players, as many prospects, and as many draft picks as we can to try to infuse the team with really good young talent ... and then have that stocked up for the future as well and attempt to get us back into contention as quickly as we can," Dubas said.