Sidney Crosby Addresses Retirement Talk After 21st NHL Season

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is entering the NHL offseason with questions surrounding his long-term future.

Crosby only has one year left on his current contract, which is set to expire on July 1, 2027, but the longtime Penguins icon made his stance clear in an interview with The Athletic's Josh Yohe.

The 38-year-old spoke with Yohe and addressed speculation about whether next season could be his last in the NHL, making it clear he's not retiring anytime soon.

"Not at all," Crosby said.

Crosby, who will turn 39 in August, said that he still sees himself playing well beyond next season and that he doesn't have a firm retirement timeline in mind.

"I definitely want to keep playing for as many years as possible," Crosby said, even acknowledging that it "would be nice" to play for five more years when asked about it.

Crosby also emphasized how he plans to handle his contracts moving forward with Pittsburgh, saying that going on one-year deals is the best approach for both him and the franchise.

"It's pretty obvious why I would just go year to year with the contracts," Crosby said. "At the end of the day, I'm just going to do what's best for the team. It's got nothing to do with how long I want to play. It's not like that at all."

Caught up with Sidney Crosby in Switzerland yesterday. He recently said he'd go year to year on future contracts. But that didn't mean he plans on retiring anytime soon. Far from it. He had some interesting things to say. Read about it here: https://t.co/GUu77dNM9Y

— Josh Yohe (@JoshYohe_PGH) May 21, 2026

Added Crosby: "I said year to year because of where the team is at," Crosby said. "It just makes sense, whether it's our cap, who we have coming in and out, just to have that flexibility. It's important.

"I'm saying year to year based on contracts," Crosby said. "It just seems to make sense. I mean, it could change. We'll see."

Crosby finished the 2026 season with 29 goals and 74 points in 68 games, helping the Penguins return to the playoffs after a three-year hiatus before a first-round loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. He contributed five points in six postseason games.

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This story was originally published May 21, 2026 at 7:51 AM.