The Penguins Need To Find Their Next Superstar
It’s been decades since the Pittsburgh Penguins’ fanbase wondered who their next superstar would be, as they’ve been spoiled for 40 years by the likes of Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, Ron Francis, Sidney Crosby, and Evgeni Malkin. This question, though, is on the minds of many Penguins fans and is clearly something Kyle Dubas sees as a problem, especially given that he is eyeing the future and has rebuilt the Penguins’ prospect pool into a respectable one in just two short years. What he lacks, though, is the hardest thing to acquire, and that is the next great superstar to pull on a Penguins jersey. At the moment, there is no clear path for the Penguins to get that player who can define an era of Pittsburgh hockey.
Every successful run of Penguins hockey has been built around the aforementioned superstars. Lemieux saved the Penguins (more than once), Jagr and Francis followed, and so did the titles. Then Crosby and Malkin ushered in a new era of championship hockey, and Pittsburgh’s dominance continued. But they haven’t been a true Cup contender in nearly a decade, and history suggests they need their next star sooner rather than later. That was supposed to happen in this year’s draft with a bottom-five finish in the standings, but the Penguins surprisingly made the playoffs, which sent them back in the draft to pick 22nd.
Stockpiling young talent has been a recent phenomenon for the Penguins, but the time for stockpiling is over, and at some point Dubas has to turn quantity into quality. That’s why so many media outlets and fans have been clamouring for Dubas to make a big splash and acquire Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson. Is Robertson the guy, though? He certainly fits the part as a mid-20s star who can do it all offensively. But just how much will the Penguins be willing to give up, and is he the guy to build around? Only time will tell, but he won’t come cheap, and he will get paid if the Penguins trade for him. As good as Robertson is, he doesn’t feel like the right superstar for the Penguins.
Dubas has done well via trade, bringing in young talent, but the likeliest path to nabbing a future NHL superstar is through the draft. Unless the Penguins finish lower in the standings and get some lottery luck, it might not even be possible. But not all superstars arrive through the draft, and plenty have been traded for. Despite the heater Dubas was on over the past year, it doesn’t feel as though he’s found his superstar yet.
The Penguins have some good pieces, such as Harrison Brunicke, Benjamin Kindel, Rutger McGroarty and Tanner Howe, but none look like superstars unless they dramatically exceed expectations. Even recently acquired and extended Egor Chinakhov looks like a gamer, but it’s hard to believe he is going to morph into a superstar, even though he has an incredible shot.
There is one option for the Penguins that has long been a third rail in NHL circles, and that is the offer sheet. The Penguins are well positioned to offer sheet just about any NHL player in the next year or two, but it would come at an exorbitant cost, and there is a ton of risk involved. But given what Dubas has built and how well he has drafted so far, would giving up four first-round picks to acquire Connor Bedard be worth it? It sure seems that way if there is no other option. Given that the team still employs Crosby and company, they don’t feel like a lottery team anytime soon, which means Dubas is limited in his options to get his next star. It’s also possible that if the Penguins successfully gave up their next four first-round picks but got a superstar in return, those picks could all be late first-round picks.
Another truth about the Penguins is that they haven’t exactly drafted well in the first round when they have used their own pick in the past 10 years. Sure, their 2025 first-round pick was great, and Kindel looks like he should be a terrific NHLer for a long time, but this is a team that also took Owen Pickering, Samuel Poulin and Brayden Yager with their three previous first-round picks, and those players aren’t exactly knocking down the door to get into the NHL. Mid- to late-first-round picks, like most draft picks, are lottery tickets; sure, they have better odds of winning than later picks, but there are no guarantees they turn into full-fledged pro players, while grabbing a player like Bedard or an Adam Fantilli guarantees you get an NHL star right away. It could be a worthwhile gamble for Pittsburgh.
Rebuilding a roster is not easy; retooling is even harder. While Dubas’ work has been admirable, his most difficult task has yet to be completed, and it may require a move so risky that it could set the entire Penguins’ retool back 5- 10 years. It is likely the move that will define Dubas’ tenure in Pittsburgh more than any of the good trades or the good drafting. Pittsburgh has long been an NHL franchise built on drafting generational talent, but this next era of Penguins hockey could be defined by a superstar that was acquired in a different manner, that is if they continue to field a competitive team during the last years of Crosby and Malkin’s NHL careers.
Patience Has Become A Virtue In The NHL
Nearly every NHL fan who has endured years of playoff heartbreak reaches a point where they call for their favorite team to blow up the core and go into a rebuild. It’s happened everywhere, including in Pittsburgh from 2010 to 2015, when Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and company could barely get out of the first round. The same thing happened in Tampa Bay in 2019, when they were swept in the first round by the Columbus Blue Jackets. But, in Tampa Bay, there were calls for patience after the embarrassing defeat, perhaps learning a lesson from the Penguins, whose patience with their core paid off. Both of those teams eventually captured back-to-back titles and were rewarded for sticking with their core group of players. The same can be said for the 2026 Stanley Cup Champion Carolina Hurricanes, who have endured years of playoff disappointments, rode it out with their core, and were rewarded with hockey’s ultimate prize. So, which leads to more success? A full teardown and rebuild, or riding things out with a core that can’t get wins when the games matter the most?
The list of teams that faced playoff disappointments is much longer than just Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay. The Washington Capitals had their own set of playoff disappointments during the Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, and John Carlson era, but they kept that core together for more than a decade before it ultimately paid off with a Stanley Cup in 2018. There were many calls for Washington to move someone from that group, but those calls were ignored, and Washington continued to build around the group and improve it year after year.
In Tampa Bay, the Lightning endured a Stanley Cup Finals loss in 2015 and Eastern Conference Finals losses in 2016 and 2018 before finally breaking through. Calls in Tampa Bay were constant for the team to do something, anything, to shake up a core that some felt was stale. But two Stanley Cups and three finals trips later, it’s clear that Tampa Bay made the right call to ride things out with their group.
On the other hand, the teardown is always viewed through rose-coloured glasses because folks remember the Penguins during the Sidney Crosby era, when they drafted Crosby, Malkin, Kris Letang, Jordan Staal, and Marc-Andre Fleury. They may also think back to the Chicago Blackhawks, who used the draft lottery to pick Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews.
The problem with viewing a full teardown with such optimism is that for every successful rebuild, there are teams that struggle for a decade or more. The Edmonton Oilers and Buffalo Sabres have both spent more than a decade rebuilding and have nothing to show for it at this point, though the Oilers came close to a title twice. The Sabres went 15 years without a playoff appearance, which should serve as a cautionary tale for anyone who believes that a full-scale roster teardown guarantees a window of contention. In fact, it doesn’t end with Buffalo and Edmonton, as the Philadelphia Flyers rebuilt and tore down more than once during the 2010s after multiple failed launches.
Much of the evidence points to teams that keep the core together being more successful, yet fans and media love to call for the general manager of their favorite team to rebuild when things get tough. A lot of that is an emotional reaction after a loss, which is understandable given that emotions run high come playoff time, and sometimes fans and media say things purely in the heat of the moment. But even though it might come off as rash, it’s not always wrong to want to tear down a core.
The best time, and perhaps the only time, to tear down a core is when it has become too old and too expensive to continue pressing with it. The Pittsburgh Penguins are a good example of this. They kept the core together during the 2010-2015 failures, but should have likely broken the core up around 2021-22 after five consecutive playoff series losses. They didn’t do so, and general manager Ron Hextall added to the core in the summer of 2022 in an effort to extend the Penguins’ playoff appearance streak, but they unfortunately hit a wall in 2023, and Hextall was fired.
The argument to keep the Penguins together during the 2018-22 run made sense, given that teams aren’t successful immediately after blowing up their roster, and the Penguins still had Crosby and Malkin playing at a high level. Had the Penguins torn it down, it likely wouldn’t have been five years before their draft capital reached the NHL. By then, Crosby and Malkin would’ve been 40, and the team likely didn’t have the patience to wait that long, nor would Crosby and Malkin.
The choice to keep the core together or blow it all up and start over is a case-by-case decision. The idea of always tearing down a core after a few playoff failures is wrong, and keeping an old, expensive core together forever is a bad idea, too. The best measuring stick for something like this might be long-term success and whether a team has consistently been a top 5-7 NHL team and won some playoff series.
Carolina struggled in the Conference Finals for years, but they showed management they could consistently win two rounds in the playoffs. This created an internal belief among management, and the Hurricanes were patient for years despite ugly third-round losses several times. But the Canes knew they had elite talent, a deep roster, and prospects coming up the pipeline. And finally, this year, their patience was rewarded.
This is what makes a case like the Toronto Maple Leafs so compelling. They’ve been good for a long time and have been a contender on paper at times. They have elite-level talent on their roster, but they can’t get past the second round, and most times, they can’t even get out of the first round. There is an argument that patience could pay off in Toronto, and it’s possible that argument could be right. The history of the NHL is littered with teams that lost many times before eventually breaking through and winning a Stanley Cup, and it’s not to say Toronto should plan a Stanley Cup parade, but it is to say they should give their core a few more chances to win before tearing it all down.
The Modern Stanley Cup Formula: Depth Over Cap Hits
When the Carolina Hurricanes raised the Stanley Cup last week, they continued a trend as old as the NHL salary cap: no NHL team in the salary cap era has won the Stanley Cup and had a player carry a cap hit over $10MM. This stat is surprising given how many high-end players now carry AAVs well over $10MM, but it also shows that the teams that have won in this era have done so with balance and depth rather than relying on stars to carry them to victory and creating a top-heavy salary cap structure. Now, $10MM might seem like an arbitrary number to use for this piece, but the fact of the matter is that no team has been able to get over the hump with a player on their roster making north of that dollar figure.
Now, this is not to say that highly paid superstars haven’t won the cup. Of course, they have. But generally, those who have done so have signed below-market contracts to keep the team competitive. A good example is the Pittsburgh Penguins, who won three Stanley Cups with Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby earning big money, yet neither player has ever had a cap hit above $9.5MM. Even back in 2009 when Sidney Crosby’s $8.7MM cap hit took up a bigger portion of the Penguins payroll (15.3% of the $56.7MM salary cap limit) Pittsburgh was still able to field a competitive roster despite allocating a big percentage to Crosby as they benefitted from a third line of Tyler Kennedy, Jordan Staal and Matt Cooke making less than $4MM combined which goes to show that often the depth of a team is the thing that will give them an edge. It is interesting to note that Pittsburgh was able to weather that contract and win the Stanley Cup despite it taking up a bigger percentage of the salary cap than $10MM+ would today. Which makes the $10MM+ even more arbitrary, but interesting.
Looking at the last few years, many elite-player contracts have settled in the $11MM-$13MM range, which is probably below market value for some. Despite earning less than they could conceivably get, those players have not been able to carry their teams to victory while earning over $10MM. There have been teams with players making exactly $10MM (for example, the Florida Panthers last season, with Sergei Bobrovsky and Aleksander Barkov), but in general, winning teams have consistently avoided the ultra-expensive contracts that weigh down their roster depth.
What Carolina showed this year, and what the Florida Panthers did in previous seasons when they won the cup, is that teams that can spread their payroll across different tiers are much more successful than those handing out hockey’s version of a supermax deal. That salary-cap efficiency allows for depth throughout the roster, which ultimately gives a team the ability to lay the groundwork for playoff success.
It should also be noted that the Florida Panthers won the 2025 Stanley Cup with two players carrying a cap hit of exactly $10MM, which is interesting given the depth of that roster. Despite carrying those two eight-figure cap hits, Florida was able to fill out their roster with solid depth players and roll all four lines throughout the playoffs. They also benefitted from some absolute bargain contracts, including those of Sam Bennett, Carter Verhaeghe, Evan Rodrigues, Niko Mikkola and youngster Mackie Samoskevich. In the case of the Panthers, they were an organization that had all the pieces fit at the right time during a two-year window, similar to what happened with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020 and 2021, as well as the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017.
What those three teams had in common was that they structured their salary cap to fill out their rosters, plan for injuries in the playoffs, adjust to matchup changes if necessary, and give themselves depth should some of their players become fatigued later in the postseason. The Penguins were a good example of this in 2017, when they used their salary cap flexibility to cover Kris Letang’s playoff absence by acquiring multiple veteran defensemen at the NHL Trade Deadline, including Ron Hainsey, who effectively replaced Letang on the top pairing. The Penguins had roughly 10 NHL defensemen on their roster come playoff time and ended up using eight of them on their way to the Stanley Cup.
The Penguins, like the other recent cup winners, had elite players, but a common trait among these teams is that their franchise stars carry discounted cap hits for various reasons. It could be by choice, as is the case with the Penguins, or it could be an advantageous tax situation, as it was in Florida and Tampa Bay, or it could be smart timing by the team to lock in players long term prior to a breakout. Whatever it is, they all avoided breaking the bank for their stars, which isn’t true for all teams and their franchise stars, just ask the Toronto Maple Leafs.
As was demonstrated with the Panthers, big cap hits do exist on championship teams, and it appears that a player will soon make over $10MM and become a champion, especially with the salary cap climbing. Barring unforeseen circumstances, $10MM should be a lot more common in a couple of years, and much less of a roster constraint. But that’s always been one of the main purposes of a salary cap world: spread-the-wealth around the league. Eventually, bigger cap hits will begin to win Stanley Cups, and $10MM will become a regular cap hit for a second-line winger or a second-pairing defenseman. Until then, it will be fascinating to watch how many more seasons the trend can continue.
East Notes: Crosby, Leach, Sabres
Although Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby will turn 39 before the start of next season, he isn’t seriously considering ending what has been a legendary career in the NHL. Crosby spoke to The Athletic’s Josh Yohe about his future, and said “I definitely want to keep playing for as many years as possible.” He also added that any previous comments about wanting to take a “year-to-year” approach was more about giving the Penguins as much financial flexibility as possible, rather than an indication that he is weighing hanging up his skates.
That Crosby isn’t giving any serious thought to retirement shouldn’t come as any surprise. First and foremost, Crosby is one of the game’s all-time great competitors. He hasn’t won a playoff series since 2017-18, and it’s likely he’ll want to see the Penguins through their current retool as far as he can. But the more important factor to Crosby’s longevity isn’t his competitive drive, it’s the simple fact that he remains an extremely effective NHL center. Crosby scored 29 goals and 74 points in 68 games in 2025-26. Although the Penguins stumbled in the first round of the playoffs, Crosby is still a star first-line center. Before injuries limited him this past season, Crosby had three consecutive campaigns where he scored more than 90 points. It seems he’s eager to continue leading the Penguins into their increasingly promising future, and for as long as he wants to continue playing, he’ll have a place at the top of the Penguins lineup.
Other notes from around the NHL:
- The Boston Bruins will not retain assistant coach Jay Leach for next season, reports David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period. Leach, whose contract is set to expire this summer, has been an assistant behind the bench in Boston for the last two years. First-year head coach Marco Sturm inherited Leach from the staff of former bench boss Jim Montgomery. Per Conor Ryan of the Boston Globe, Leach “primarily worked with Boston’s defensemen” during his time with the team. Before he became an assistant in Boston, Leach spent three seasons with the Seattle Kraken on the staff of former head coach Dave Hakstol. Leach had some previous experience in the Bruins organization as well, serving as head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins, for four seasons.
- Buffalo Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen told the media, including Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic, that he informed skaters Bowen Byram and Zach Benson of the organization’s desire to sign them both to long-term contract extensions. Benson, 21, enjoyed a breakout third season in the NHL, scoring 18 goals and 52 points across 78 combined regular-season and playoff contests. The twin pillars of Benson’s game – his dynamic offensive skill and his aggressive, pest-like qualities – have endeared him to Sabres fans and team management alike. Kekäläinen called Benson, who is a pending RFA, a “core piece.” Byram, who turns 25 early next month, isn’t a pending RFA but becomes extension-eligible July 1. His $6.25MM AAV contract walks him directly to unrestricted free agency in a little over a year, but Buffalo is hoping he won’t reach that point. Byram scored 11 goals and 43 points this past season, and added seven points in 13 playoff games.
Team Canada Notes: Crosby, Barzal, Mercer
Sidney Crosby will join Team Canada at the IIHF Men’s World Championship tournament, Hockey Canada announced today. Crosby’s decision marks the second consecutive season in which the Penguins’ captain has decided to head to IIHF Worlds. Crosby scored 12 points in eight games at last year’s edition of the tournament, although Canada was upset in the quarterfinals by Denmark. One of the game’s greatest players of all time, Crosby has already represented Canada on numerous occasions. He’s a member of the Triple Gold Club, meaning he has won a Stanley Cup, Olympic gold medal, and IIHF World Championship.
Crosby joins a Canada roster that is already looking like the strongest in the tournament by a wide margin. The Canadians are set to be captained by 2024 No. 1 overall pick Macklin Celebrini. It is unclear if Celebrini will hand over the captaincy to Crosby, who has served as captain for Canada every time he’s represented them over the past decade. If nothing else, it would be quite the sight to see Celebrini, 19, serving as Crosby’s captain. In any case, the announcement is a good sign for Crosby’s health. He briefly left the bench during game five of the Penguins’ first-round loss to the Flyers to get his knee checked, but it appears that he has not suffered an injury of any sort.
Other notes from Hockey Canada:
- While Canada has added one of the game’s top forwards in Crosby, they’ve also lost another premier NHL forward: Mathew Barzal. The New York Islanders star will miss IIHF Worlds as what Hockey Canada describes as “a precaution” due to a “minor, pre-existing injury.” Barzal, who scored 19 goals and 72 points this past season, has played at two prior IIHF Worlds tournaments. He scored eight points in nine games during the 2022 tournament, and had seven points in 10 games at the 2018 championship. He won a silver medal for Canada in 2022 but is still waiting on his first gold.
- Team Canada also added another forward from the Metropolitan Division today: Dawson Mercer of the New Jersey Devils. Like Barzal, Mercer has also represented Canada at IIHF Worlds on two occasions: first in 2022, and again in 2024. Mercer won a silver medal with Barzal in 2022 and has scored nine points in 19 career games at the World Championships. The 24-year-old can play both center and on the wing, and scored 20 goals and 42 points for New Jersey this past season.
Poll: Which Active Players Will Become An NHL GM?
The connection between NHL playing careers and front office roles has existed for nearly as long as the league itself. Some of the most highly-regarded executives – from Glen Sather in the 1980s to Jim Nill today – began their journeys with a decade-or-more in NHL lineups. Looking at the league in 2025-26, there seems to be no shortage of potential NHL executives currently putting on the pads. The question is, which of them will make it to the big chair first?
A clear top candidate would be Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby – the face of the NHL for much of the last 20 years. Crosby has become synonymous with North American hockey through his historical playing career, while learning from player-turned-owner and fellow all-time-great Mario Lemieux. That leadership could soon be invaluable. Crosby will face the question of if he should play on, or if now is the time to call it quits, in the second half of next season. If he wants to prolong his time on an NHL payroll beyond his time in the lineup, he could have a great chance to learn under Kyle Dubas and alongside Jason Spezza in the Penguins front office.
Another strong candidate for a GM role will be Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog. Former NHL GM Brian Burke recently said as much on The Sheet With Jeff Marek while speaking to how much he admires Landeskog’s professionalism. There is no doubt about the Avalanche star’s commitment to the game, most notably highlighted by his triumphant return from a severe knee injury. Landeskog played through that injury during Colorado’s run to the 2022 Stanley Cup. On the other side of his return, he continues to serve as a versatile and effective playmaker who can shine off without top-line minutes. He is currently part of a three-way tie for second on the Avalanche in playoff scoring with seven points in six games. With that kind of impact, there will be plenty of hockey ahead for the 33 year old, who is signed through the 2028-29 season. But when his career nears its end, a door to team management could quickly open.
Prior playing experience could also open the door for more European representation in front office roles. Landeskog would become the second Swedish GM in NHL history, while a player like Anze Kopitar could shoot to become the first from central Europe should he choose that path. Kopitar is hanging up his skates after the Los Angeles Kings’ exit from the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He had the third-most games played of any active NHL player this season. Every single one of those games came in a Kings’ jersey, with Kopitar captaining the team through the final 10 seasons of his career. All-time goals record holder Alex Ovechkin has also spent the entirety of his career with one team and could wield the experience needed to become the league’s first Russian GM.
Of course, playing success does not create a top exec – and many of the league’s top leaders could also have a chance. Longtime pros Jaccob Slavin, Nathan MacKinnon, Ryan O’Reilly, and Aleksander Barkov have all been recognized for their sportsmanship with the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy. The trophy was also handed out to former Avalanche GM Joe Sakic and soon-to-be-former Seattle Kraken GM Ron Francis. Its recognition of on-and-off-ice impact would stand out on any resume, especially next to the Stanley Cup precedent that MacKinnon, O’Reilly, and Barkov boast. It is also a feat managed multiple times by Kopitar, who could win the trophy again this season.
Many players around the league could put together a strong case for a managerial role. Who will do it first? Who will find another long career in the role? Vote for your choice below and use the comments to make a case for other players!
Which Active Players Will Become An NHL GM?
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PIT - Sidney Crosby 35% (217)
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COL - Gabriel Landeskog 33% (204)
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LAK - Anze Kopitar 14% (84)
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Other (Comment below) 12% (75)
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COL - Nathan MacKinnon 5% (33)
Total votes: 613
Evening Notes: Team Canada, Crosby, Ortmeyer
In a surprising announcement, Hockey Canada shared that it will not be participating in the 2026 Spengler Cup. The 2026 rendition of the tournament will be the first time since 1983 that Canada has not sent a team to the tournament.
Included in the announcement was a statement from Hockey Canada, saying, “Hockey Canada and the Spengler Cup organizing committee have announced that Canada’s National Men’s Team will not participate in the 2026 Spengler Cup. Hockey Canada’s long-term agreement expired following the 2025 Spengler Cup, and a new agreement to include Team Canada in the 2026 event could not be reached in time.”
There is no word on exactly why an agreement couldn’t be reached between the two sides, but the outcome remains the same. Typically carrying a roster full of AHL talent, Team Canada had been dominant in the tournament for the last three decades, winning 13 Spengler Cups since 1992 and appearing in 20 championship contests.
Additional evening notes:
- Eligible for a contract extension this summer, Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby was fairly non-committal on a new deal when asked today. According to Seth Rorabaugh of the Tribune-Review, Crosby stated that he is taking a “wait and see” approach regarding a new deal and has not given it much thought. In the midst of their rebuild, Crosby signed a new extension with the Penguins after being followed by extensive trade rumors. At this point, it doesn’t appear there’s much possibility of “The Kid” playing for a new team, and he will continue his career in Pittsburgh as long as he wants.
- According to Vince Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic, the New York Rangers will not be retaining Jed Ortmeyer this offseason. Ortmeyer, 47, has been the Rangers’ Director of Player Development since the 2017-18 campaign. It’s a relatively obvious change as New York embarks on a retool, as the team has had a notoriously difficult time drafting and developing talent over the last several years.
Penguins Assign Five To AHL
Wednesday: The Penguins announced (Twitter link) that they’ve returned McGroarty, Koivunen, and Koppanen, along with wingers Avery Hayes and Rafael Harvey-Pinard, back to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. All five got into at least one game in recent days.
Saturday: With the Penguins now having secured a playoff spot, they’re electing to get some players with nagging injuries some rest. That means that several players needed to be recalled to have a full roster available for their game today against Washington. Those promotions have been made as the team announced (Twitter link) that forwards Rutger McGroarty, Ville Koivunen, and Joona Koppanen have been recalled on an emergency basis from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. With the emergency designation, none of them will count toward their post-deadline recall limit of five.
McGroarty is up with Pittsburgh for the fourth time this season. He has suited up in 21 games so far in a bottom-six role, picking up two goals and three assists while averaging 11:46 per night. The 2022 first-round pick has been much more productive in the minors, however, with eight goals and 22 assists in 28 games. With many key players out of the lineup today, McGroarty should have a chance to play in more of an offensive role than he has had most nights with Pittsburgh this season.
Koivunen, meanwhile, is also up for his fourth stint of the season. But unlike McGroarty, he has spent more time with Pittsburgh than in the minors. In 36 games at the top level, the 22-year-old has two goals and five assists while averaging 12:29 per night. Unsurprisingly, he has been a much better producer in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, tallying 11 goals and 25 assists in 32 appearances.
As for Koppanen, he’s also getting his fourth promotion of the year. While he hasn’t played a lot with Pittsburgh, he has had to clear waivers twice already this season. In 10 NHL outings, the 28-year-old has just one assist. In the minors, he has fared better, picking up eight goals and 15 assists in 42 contests. A pending unrestricted free agent, a report surfaced last month that suggested he’s likely to sign in Sweden for next season.
For their game today, the team announced (Twitter link) that numerous players are unavailable due to day-to-day injuries. Those include forwards Sidney Crosby (lower body), Benjamin Kindel (upper body), Evgeni Malkin (upper body), and Bryan Rust (lower body). On the back end, Erik Karlsson (lower body), Kris Letang (upper body), and Parker Wotherspoon (upper body) are all sidelined. Additionally, center Connor Dewar is listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury of his own, putting his availability to start the playoffs in jeopardy.
How Much Longer Will Sidney Crosby Play?
Sidney Crosby extended his NHL record for most seasons averaging at least a point per game to 21 years, which, if you’re keeping score at home, means every season he’s played in the league. Crosby’s achievement is one that probably won’t be matched for a long time, if ever, and it raises a few questions.
How much longer will Crosby continue to play? How much longer can he maintain an elite level of performance?
To be honest, the first question likely has the same answer as the second. Given Crosby’s pride, he’s probably not going to keep playing if his game declines and he turns into a nostalgia act.
There is a lot to consider when projecting Crosby’s future. He is clearly in top physical condition and takes pride in being a gym rat. That said, Crosby’s physical skills have not yet declined, and that could remain the case for at least a few more seasons. Crosby doesn’t rely on speed or a skill-based game, though he still retains significant ability in both areas.
Nonetheless, his hockey IQ, puck skills in tight spaces, legendary lower-body strength, puck protection, and edge work are his bread and butter. His fierce backhand, which hasn’t lost any velocity, is another key asset. In fact, none of those skills has diminished, and they might not for a while.
The best comparison in most of these categories is probably another former Penguins player, Jaromír Jágr. Jágr was arguably the best puck protector in NHL history, and very few have ever viewed the game the way he did.
Now, that’s not to say Crosby will play into his 50s. But Jágr played in the NHL until he was 45, and he was still rather effective right up to the end. It wasn’t until his last few games with the Flames during the 2017-18 season that Jágr’s scoring really slowed down, as he scored just a goal and six assists in 22 games and finished his career halfway through that season. It was a bit of an anti-climactic ending to one of the greatest NHL careers ever, but Jágr still managed to go out on his own terms for the most part.
Therein lies a difference between Crosby and Jágr, and it rests solely on the perception of Crosby as a prideful man who cares deeply about winning and being elite. Jagr was willing to accept the fact that if he continued playing, he would no longer be an elite NHL player. He was still incredibly effective, but his skills had diminished. It’s hard to imagine a scenario in which Crosby does the same thing, especially given that his mentor, Mario Lemieux, walked away at 40 when he felt his game slip and the physical toll of playing became too much, plus an atrial fibrillation diagnosis.
That physical toll is another significant consideration for Crosby, given that his 21-year career has taken a physical and sometimes mental toll on the 38-year-old. Obviously, the recent knee injury at the Olympics is at the forefront of Crosby’s mind, but it is far from the only physical ailment he has faced. Crosby has experienced other lower-body injuries, facial injuries, and a documented long history of concussions. The concussions are particularly unpredictable, and it’s difficult to know what might happen if Crosby were to suffer another one this late in his career. This factor greatly influences his longevity in the game.
Perhaps the biggest factor is that the Penguins are actually good again, playing a high-flying, exciting brand of hockey that Crosby loves. Josh Yohe of The Athletic has previously written that he doesn’t believe Crosby will retire after his current contract, which expires next summer. That would mean Crosby could conceivably sign a deal that takes him through his age-40 season at a minimum. Crosby loves to win and has previously stated that it’s what drives him; if Pittsburgh is in a position to go on a run, he would want to be part of it.
Finally, the race is on for Crosby to become only the second player ever to reach 2,000 career points and to move into second place on the all-time scoring list. That position is currently held by Jágr, who is 162 points ahead of Crosby, who is now seventh overall in NHL scoring. With 1,759 points, Crosby needs 241 more to hit the 2,000 mark. It’s not impossible, but it will require some elite-level production from him well into his early 40s.
Crosby has averaged 1.09 points per game this season, down from his previous years’ production, which hovered around 1.13-1.14. If Crosby can maintain that rate and play 70 games a season over the next two years, he would reach approximately 153 points, putting him close to Jagr and less than 100 points shy of 2,000.
Of course, all of this remains speculation, and injuries can disrupt the projections, just as skill regression and age are inevitabilities. However, it’s not unreasonable to envision a scenario where Crosby plays three or four more seasons, which, if he stays healthy, is likely to see him reach 2,000 points. It could also coincide with a period when the Penguins are firmly in a win-now phase with their new core of young players, some of whom Crosby is already playing alongside and winning with.
East Notes: Crosby, Martinook, Staal, Texier
Penguins captain Sidney Crosby extended his NHL record for consecutive point-per-game seasons with a goal and a pair of assists in Sunday’s 5-2 win over Florida. He’s now at 72 points on the year; he can play a maximum of 70 games after missing 12 over the past several weeks with an MCL sprain and a subsequently unrelated lower-body issue. That gives him 21 seasons in a row above a point per game, two clear of Wayne Gretzky‘s previous record of 19. Crosby has never finished at or below a point per game in his career. The closest he ever got was a Cup-winning season for the Penguins in 2015-16, when his 36-49–85 scoring line in 80 games worked out to a career-low 1.06 mark. Among players with at least 750 career appearances, Crosby’s 1.24 points per game sits eighth all-time and third among active players behind Connor McDavid‘s 1.53 and Nikita Kucherov‘s 1.28.
More from around the Eastern Conference:
- The Hurricanes were without two-thirds of their main checking line in yesterday’s loss to the Senators, as Jordan Martinook and Jordan Staal were unable to go. Both were late scratches due to undisclosed injuries, the team announced. They each missed three-game stretches earlier in the year with a lower-body injury and an illness, respectively, but have otherwise been durable. With the Metropolitan Division title all but locked up with now just five games left in the season, it’s likely a case of extremely precautionary rest ahead of the playoffs. Martinook has 26 points and a +5 rating in his 73 appearances this year, while Staal has 33 points and a +3.
- After clinching a playoff berth earlier in the day thanks to some outside help, the Canadiens were quiet at home last night in a 3-0 loss to the Devils. They did so without the services of depth winter Alexandre Texier, who has now missed a seventh straight game with a lower-body injury, per Eric Engels of Sportsnet. He remains listed as day-to-day but has only played eight times since Jan. 29 due to injuries and a string of healthy scratches. He’s still been an efficiently productive find for Montreal this season after he opted to walk away from his contract with the Blues in November, recording an 8-11–19 scoring line in 38 games since his pickup.