An update on when Sidney Crosby could open contract extension talks with the Pittsburgh Penguins, plus some suggested destinations for free-agent wingers Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrik Laine
Video Transcript
I’m Lyle Richardson of the Hockey News, and in today’s NHL Rumor Roundup column, I’m looking at the latest on Sidney Crosby’s potential contract extension and the current status of unrestricted free agent wingers Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrick Laine
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We begin with Crosby, who is entering the final season of a two-year contract
And unlike two years ago, when there was loads of speculation over whether or not he might resign with the Penguins, there’s not so much this time around
And that’s largely because the Penguins exceeded expectations last season and qualified for the playoffs
Josh Yeo of The Athletic cited Crosby’s agent, Pat Brisson, as saying that the contract talks would likely begin once the summer was over to give his client time to relax and unwind from what had been a hectic season
And it’s believed that Crosby could end up signing another one or two-year extension
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Now, Yeo points out that Crosby’s never been one to push for the most money that he could get
But given, you know, his importance to the Penguins, they’ll likely pay him whatever he wants
And given Crosby’s well-known superstition with the number 87, it’ll likely be an average annual value of 8.7 million again
As for Tarasenko and Laine, both are among the few notable names still remaining in the unrestricted free agent market
Mike Rupp of NHL Network recently suggested that Tarasenko might be able to help the Philadelphia Flyers remedy their league worst power play, while George Richards of Florida Hockey Now suggested Laine as a short-term replacement for the Panthers for sidelined winger Brad Marchand
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Now, it remains to be seen if Tarasenko and Laine end up signing with either club because Tarasenko is now 34 years old, while Laine has a long injury history, and that could have teams looking elsewhere for help
