‘Hopefully we can keep it going’: Crosby on future with Malkin, Letang
After a tough loss, the longtime leader of the Pittsburgh Penguins hopes he can run it back one more time with a couple of guys who have been by his side for two decades.
After being eliminated by the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Penguins captain Sidney Crosby was asked about the future of the team, most notably about whether longtime teammates Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang will be sticking around when the 2026-27 season begins.
Crosby noted the trio’s history and his desire to keep the band together.
“It’s kind of hard to put into words, honestly,” Crosby told the media. “It’s something that we probably have just gotten used to, but 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. Just so appreciative for the opportunity to have played with them as long as we have. Hopefully, we can keep it going.”
The combination of Crosby, Malkin and Letang has been a constant since Letang’s first stint with the Penguins at the beginning of the 2006-07 season. After the right-handed rearguard became a full-time NHL player the following year, the trio has helped lead Pittsburgh to great heights. They have won three Stanley Cups – 2009, 2016, 2017 – and helped take the once-bumbling franchise to be considered one of the premier organizations in the NHL.
At the beginning of the 2023-24 season, they broke the record for the most tenured trio of teammates in the history of North American sports, as that was the 18th straight year the players on the same team. The 2025-26 campaign was Crosby, Malkin and Letang’s 20th straight season together.
The question of whether they will be together next fall comes as Malkin’s future with the team is up in the air. The Russian is on an expiring contract, and talks between his team and Penguins management have been relatively quiet.
It isn’t like the three players are afterthoughts on the Pens’ roster. Crosby led the team with 74 points this year, having only played 68 games due to injury. Malkin was also limited to 56 games, but finished fifth on the team with 61 points. Letang notched 34 points in 74 appearances this year. The boys were crucial in helping Pittsburgh make the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2022, finishing second in the Metropolitan Division.