Sidney Crosby will play in his 20th season with the Pittsburgh Penguins this year. It seems impossible, but the most successful Penguins player of all time is starting the third decade of his NHL career.
The Penguins are in a difficult position, too. They will need to make more roster changes to get back into the postseason. After two straight seasons of missing the playoffs, can they make the necessary changes to give their captain another shot at the Stanley Cup? It's unclear.
What is clear, however, is the Penguins can expect more greatness from Sidney Crosby in his 20th season. He's given no indication that the game is passing him by, even as he turns 37 this year. He had a fantastic 2022-23 season, recording 94 points. Along the way, he jumped into 10th place on the NHL all-time scoring leaders list. With another full season, Crosby should move into sole ownership of ninth place as well.
Because of this, expectations remain high for the future Hall of Famer. He should be able to replicate his 2023-24 season in 2024-25, meaning you can pencil him in for 85-100 points. Maintaining a point-per-game average for the 20th season is also a fair expectation for the Penguins' captain.
But what about team success? There was a time when the Penguins were a contender merely by Crosby's presence in the lineup. While that isn't the case anymore, he's still one of the NHL's best players. It isn't unrealistic to expect the team to be competitive as long as Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are on their roster. They still need some help to make it happen, but earning a playoff spot is both the goal and expectation for Sid and the Pens in 2024-25.
The Penguins' time with Crosby is nearing an end, whether either side wants to admit it. In the meantime, Crosby is still tearing up the league and giving the team and fans reason to keep expectations sky high.
