Report: Holdup on Sidney Crosby Signing Revealed

August 7th, 8/7, has come and gone, and still no new contract for #87. With so many around the Pittsburgh hockey scene pegging Aug. 7th—Sidney Crosby's birthday—as the day that the longtime captain and Penguins icon would sign an extension, many are wondering what's happening on this front.

According to Rob Rossi in The Athletic, there's nothing to worry about. Both sides fully intend to get a deal done. But the hold up seems to be all about term.

Crosby has told close friends he intends to re-sign with the Penguins and that he, agent Pat Brisson and Penguins hockey president/general manager Kyle Dubas are largely aligned about details of a new contract...
The actual money is “not an issue,” a team source said... (Crosby) is unsure exactly how long he wants to keep playing and “doesn’t want to put (the Penguins) in a bad spot” if he signs a longer deal and doesn’t play it out in full, a source close to Crosby said.

Crosby is heading into the final season of a 12-year deal with an $8.7 million cap hit, and has been eligible for an extension for over a month. It's natural that nervous followers around town would be wondering what's up.

In fact, the Penguins even acknowledge that the lack of a new deal at this point has caused some concern from the business operations people that potential sponsorships and/or season-ticket sales could even be affected by the delay.

But the two sides want to get it right, and from all accounts, they will do that. However long it takes.

Sid the Kid, who turned 37 on Wednesday (can we still call him 'the Kid'?), is heading into his 20th NHL season.