The Pittsburgh Penguins have been left picking up the pieces and wondering what comes next after their elimination from the Stanley Cup Playoffs at the hands of the in-state rival Philadelphia Flyers, who have since been eliminated themselves by the undefeated Carolina Hurricanes.
One of the biggest questions on the minds of Penguins fans everywhere is the future status of longtime forward Evgeni Malkin, who is a pending unrestricted free agent.
Meanwhile, longtime captain Sidney Crosby, one of the best players in NHL history, will be entering the final year of his own contract in 2026-27, which will naturally ramp up the speculation about his own future with the team.
But until then, Crosby has announced his next offseason move, once again choosing to try and help his native country achieve international glory.
Pittsburgh Penguins Captain Sidney Crosby Will Play For Canada In The 2026 World Championship
Crosby, who has served as captain of Team Canada multiple times in his career during international play, announced his intention to play for Canada in the upcoming IIHF Men’s World Championship, which begin later this week.
The last time Canada won the tournament was in 2023.
Crosby captained Canada to a silver medal finish in the 2026 Milan Olympics, but wasn’t able to play in their heartbreaking loss to Team USA in the gold medal game because of an injury he suffered earlier against Team Czechia.
Is the legendary “Big 3” era for the Penguins coming to a close?
After Pittsburgh’s elimination from the playoffs, speculation began building on whether fans had seen the last of the “Big 3” of Crosby, Malkin, and defenseman Kris Letang.
Malkin is a pending UFA, while Letang has
“It’s probably hard to put into words, honestly,” Crosby said. “It’s something that we’ve probably just gotten used to. I think they’re like family. That’s the best way to describe it. We’ve had some great wins, some tough losses like this. Ultimately, though, that’s a long time that we’ve played together and just so appreciative for the opportunity to be able to play with them as long as we have, and, hopefully, we can keep going.”
After coaching them for the first time this season, Penguins bench boss Dan Muse, who was hired last offseason to replace the fired Mike Sullivan, described the trio as “special”.
“It’s just special,” he said. “When they’ve been doing what they’ve been doing for this long at such a high level, continuing to be able to elevate their games, especially when things get hard and it’s late in the season, and whether it’s fighting to clinch a playoff spot, or when your team needs to dig out of a hole during the regular season or in the playoffs, they just continue to elevate and find different levels.
“I honestly don’t think the three of them get enough credit for the fact that they’ve been doing it together for this long.”
Whether or not Malkin returns chooses to the Penguins, signs a short-term extension, or perhaps the most painful option for fans – signing with another team – remains to be seen.
Penguins’ Sidney Crosby Announces His Next Move