To be or not to be, that is the question.
The Pittsburg Penguins reportedly have made several kinds of offers Darling Boy, Sidney Crosby. On Monday, the captain said he expects to sign a deal soon and sees himself staying with the Penguins. And yet he still hasn't signed.
Crosby was asked on Day One of the NHL Media Tour in Las Vegas on Monday if he sees a scenario where he does wait out the season to sign that new deal with the Penguins, and he didn't hesitate before saying, "No, no."
"I think I'm pretty optimistic it's going to get done," Crosby said. "I mean, I don't know what day specifically, but it's been really positive. It hasn't been a difficult process at all. So I'm pretty optimistic that something will get done."
So why not get it done? What's holding back pen from being put on paper?
Crosby was selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins with the No. 1 pick in the 2005 NHL Draft. He's a generational talent regarded for much of the 2010s as the best player in the world.
At age 21, he became the youngest player to be captain of a Cup-winning team in NHL history.
Crosby led the NHL in goals in 2009-10, with 51, and 2016-17, with 44, and won his second scoring title in 2013-14 with 104 points. And in January 2017, Crosby was named to the top 100 NHL players among only six active players at the time.
More recently, the Canadian had an assist in his 1,200th NHL game Nov. 4, 2023, a 10-0 Penguins victory at the San Jose Sharks. His three points in a 5-2 win at the New York Rangers on April 1, 2024, clinched his 19th season averaging at least a point per game, tying NHL legend Wayne Gretzky for the most in NHL history.
So, he's had all this success with the Penguins. That much is obvious. So what's holding him back. And if he really is holding back to look elsewhere, why not the New York Rangers?
If you've had a career like Crosby, you need to be on a winning team. Maybe even one that holds the most-non-coveted prize in hockey, the Presidents' Trophy.
And if the Rangers got Gretzky, they could definitely get Crosby too. If Crosby doesn't end up with the Penguins, he might as well end up with the Rangers.