Sidney Crosby Extension Hold-Up Could Be Problematic for Penguins

Everyone is wondering why Sidney Crosby hasn't signed his extension yet with the Pittsburgh Penguins. But not everyone is plugged in and able to dig into the behind-the-scenes machinations like hockey insider Elliotte Friedman. He's done some digging, and while he's certain that there have been a number of offers under consideration, each with different terms, Friedman has come up with his most likely theory as to why a deal isn't yet done, as relayed on his 32 Thoughts podcast.

Here's my theory based on what one player said to me about him: he is still a great, elite player, and one of the things that they think that he's coming to grips with and trying to recogize is, what if the team is not that good?
One thing I wonder is if Crosby is simply sitting here saying 'I’ve got no problem with the offers, I’ve got no problem with the Penguins, but if we’re not going to be making the playoffs, am I going to be able to handle that?’ I think that’s one of the things he’d kind of weighing.

The Penguins haven't won a playoff round in six years, and have missed the dance completely the past two seasons.

Crosby, 37, has made it clear he wants to be a Penguin for life, but can he really deal with being a non-playoff team as his career enters its latter stages? "He still wants to win badly," added Friedman.

The ball (puck) is in Sid's court, and it's all up to him at this point.

The Pittsburgh icon is going into the final season of his 12-year deal that carried an $8.7 million cap hit. He proved he's still at the top of his game last year, popping 42 goals and 94 points while playing all 82 games for the second consecutive year in his age-36 season.