Penguins Must Manage Sidney Crosby Differently Now That He Is 39

Sidney Crosby turned 39 on Aug. 7, and the Pittsburgh Penguins should celebrate the occasion by recognizing something that has become increasingly important. They do not need to ask their captain to carry the same regular season workload he handled earlier in his career.

This is not an argument that Crosby is declining. He recorded 29 goals, 45 assists and 74 points in only 68 games last season, averaging 1.09 points per game and extending his NHL record to 21 consecutive seasons at a point per game or better. He also averaged 19:13 of ice time and finished the regular season with 15 points over his final 12 games.

The question is no longer whether Crosby can handle major minutes. He clearly can. The question is whether Pittsburgh gains enough from asking him to do it every night to justify the additional wear during an 84-game regular season.

Crosby’s Olympic Injury Should Change the Calculation

Last season offered the clearest reminder that Pittsburgh’s margin for error with Crosby has become smaller.

Crosby suffered a lower-body injury while playing for Canada against Czechia in the Olympic quarterfinals on Feb. 18. He missed Canada’s semifinal and gold medal game before sitting out Pittsburgh’s first 11 games following the Olympic break. He did not return until March 18.

The Penguins handled his recovery carefully, but Crosby suffered another lower body injury shortly after returning. He eventually finished with 68 regular season appearances.

None of that means Pittsburgh should expect Crosby to become injury-prone at 39. He played 82 games in both 2023 to 2024 and 2024 to 2025, showing remarkable durability late into his career.

It does mean the Penguins should recognize the difference between what Crosby can handle and what they actually need him to handle.

Pittsburgh’s objective is not to maximize his regular season ice time. It is to have Crosby operating near his highest level when the games become most important.

An 84 Game Season Adds Another Reason for Caution

The NHL is making the regular season longer at exactly the point when Pittsburgh should be considering how to make Crosby’s workload smaller.

The league’s 2026-27 schedule expands from 82 to 84 games for the first time since 1993-94. Pittsburgh will also play 15 sets of back-to-back games, beginning Oct. 9 and 10 against the Columbus Blue Jackets and Dallas Stars.

Two additional games do not sound significant in isolation. The larger concern is accumulation.

Every defensive zone faceoff, extended shift and difficult matchup adds to a workload that can stretch from September through April before the playoffs even begin.

Crosby should remain Pittsburgh’s first line center. He should continue receiving major power-play minutes and taking the ice when the Penguins need a goal late in a game. Managing him differently does not mean turning him into a protected veteran who plays 15 minutes per night.

A reduction of approximately 45 seconds to one minute per game would be enough to make a difference across the season without significantly changing his offensive role. Pittsburgh can find those minutes in situations that do not require its best player.

The fourth line can take another defensive zone shift. A younger center can handle an extra matchup. Crosby does not need to return immediately after every special teams situation or remain on the ice late in games Pittsburgh has already decided. Those small decisions become meaningful over 84 games.

Penguins Need Younger Forwards to Carry More

The best way to reduce Crosby’s workload is not simply to play him less. Pittsburgh needs other forwards to become capable of playing more. That should already be one of the major objectives of the season.

Ben Kindel averaged 15:03 as an 18-year-old rookie while recording 17 goals and 35 points. Egor Chinakhov averaged only 13:28 across his season despite emerging as an important scorer after arriving in Pittsburgh. Ville Koivunen averaged 12:44 during his NHL appearances. Those players should be capable of absorbing additional responsibility.

I recently argued that the Penguins need their young forwards to take a larger step because Pittsburgh cannot continue relying on the same veteran core to handle every difficult part of the schedule. Crosby’s workload is another reason that development matters.

Kindel is particularly important. His Hockeypedia profile reflects how quickly he moved from the 11th overall selection in 2025 to an NHL regular, and his second season should include greater responsibility.

The Penguins do not need Kindel to replace Crosby. They need him, Chinakhov, Koivunen, Nicholas Robertson and other younger forwards to make it possible for Crosby to have an ordinary night occasionally.

Pittsburgh has spent years saying it wants to become younger. One measure of whether that transition is actually working will be whether the younger group can reduce the burden on No. 87.

Muse Should Protect Crosby’s Most Valuable Minutes

Dan Muse does not need to reduce every type of Crosby minute equally. Some of his ice time remains too valuable to sacrifice.

He led Pittsburgh with 10 power-play goals last season, and his ability to control possession remains essential to the first unit. He should continue receiving offensive zone opportunities alongside Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell, assuming that trio remains intact. The easier reductions can come elsewhere.

Muse can be more selective with Crosby after penalty kills, particularly when the Penguins are protecting leads. He can distribute more defensive zone starts to Pittsburgh’s bottom six. He can avoid extending shifts simply because Crosby’s line is the safest option when another unit is available.

Back-to-back games provide another opportunity. Pittsburgh does not necessarily need to scratch Crosby for one game of every set. It can reduce his minutes during the first game when circumstances allow, especially if the Penguins build an early lead. The goal should be preserving Crosby’s highest value situations rather than simply lowering the number beside his name on the stat sheet.

That same philosophy can apply to Evgeni Malkin, who averaged 17:35 in 56 games last season. Pittsburgh has two franchise centers approaching 40. Managing their workloads intelligently should be part of the team’s competitive strategy.

Crosby Already Proved He Can Still Dominate

The strongest argument against managing Crosby differently is also the most obvious. He still looks capable of handling everything.

Crosby returned from his Olympic injury and immediately produced a goal and an assist in his first game back. He finished the regular season with 15 points in his final 12 appearances and led Pittsburgh with 74 points despite playing only 68 games. That production is exactly why the Penguins should resist the temptation to overuse him.

Pittsburgh knows what Crosby can provide. There is little value in proving during a December back-to-back that a 39-year-old Crosby can still play 21 minutes. The larger benefit comes from having that version of him available in April.

The Penguins returned to the postseason last season for the first time since 2022, only to lose to the Philadelphia Flyers in six games. Crosby has made his priorities clear throughout his career. Individual milestones matter far less than competing for another Stanley Cup.

Pittsburgh should construct Crosby’s workload around the same priority. The Penguins’ reasons for optimism entering this season still begin with Crosby because he remains their most dependable elite player. Keeping him at that level is more important than maximizing his regular season totals.

Pittsburgh Should Save Crosby for Games That Matter Most

Crosby turning 39 does not suddenly make him fragile. His production says the opposite. He remains Pittsburgh’s best forward, its first-line center and the player most capable of determining whether this roster can outperform expectations. The Penguins should not dramatically reduce his role simply because another birthday has passed. They should become smarter about when they need him.

There will be nights when Crosby plays more than 20 minutes because Pittsburgh is chasing a game. There will be critical Metropolitan Division matchups when Muse should lean heavily on his captain. There will be overtime situations when nobody else should touch the ice before him.

There should also be nights when Crosby finishes closer to 17 or 18 minutes because the Penguins have enough depth to handle the rest. That is where Pittsburgh’s younger roster has to matter.

Crosby has spent more than two decades proving how much he can carry. At 39, the Penguins should stop measuring success by how much they can still ask from him. The goal should be making sure their captain has as much left as possible when another playoff run begins.