Sidney Crosby said Tuesday that contract extension talks are underway with the Pittsburgh Penguins, TSN reported, as NHL clubs move into the final stretch before training camps open across the league.
The 39-year-old centre is entering the last season of a two-year contract. He told reporters his age makes the length of any new deal harder to settle.
“I’d like to continue playing for a number of years,” Crosby said, according to TSN. “It’s just I don’t know what that number is. I guess your mind and body tell you that eventually. Right now I feel pretty good, though.”
The Boston Bruins made the week’s largest financial commitment, signing centre Fraser Minten to a seven-year, US$50.4-million contract extension, Boston Hockey Now reported. Minten, 22, is in the final season of his entry-level contract, and the new deal carries an average annual value of US$7.2 million. He recorded 17 goals and 35 points in 82 games as a rookie in 2025-26 and led the team at plus-21.
In Winnipeg, captain Adam Lowry and defenceman Dylan DeMelo both said they do not expect Connor Hellebuyck’s trade request to become a distraction, the Winnipeg Sun reported. The 33-year-old goaltender recently confirmed he asked to be moved and believes it is in his best interests to do so. Lowry characterized the request as a personal decision that would not divide the room, while DeMelo said the group’s focus is on preparing for the season regardless of the outcome.
Detroit remains the league’s most unsettled situation. The Red Wings still have no permanent general manager following Steve Yzerman’s departure, and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that Detroit Tigers general manager Jeff Greenberg withdrew from consideration for the job. That vacancy sits above two unresolved player files. Captain Dylan Larkin has requested a trade, and restricted free-agent defenceman Simon Edvinsson is unsigned coming off his entry-level contract.
Edvinsson intends to report to camp regardless, TSN reported, and is waiting on the club to hire a general manager. Detroit’s camp opens Sept. 17.
Forward Alex DeBrincat said Larkin’s request has not changed how the room views him. “He’s still a great player. He’s been a great friend and a great teammate to me, and we obviously love him here,” DeBrincat said, according to Daily Faceoff. “That’s kind of for him to answer, what’s next for him. But for us, I think it’s all the same.”
Vancouver has no timeline for Thatcher Demko’s return, co-president Daniel Sedin told The Province. The 30-year-old goaltender had season-ending hip surgery in January and has been skating on his own, but has not taken part in the informal workouts ahead of the Canucks’ Sept. 17 camp opening.
In Ottawa, general manager Steve Staios said defenceman Artem Zub is still rehabbing a playoff injury and is expected to be ready for camp, the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch reported. If Zub is not, Staios said he would consider adding a player or two on professional tryout offers.
Elsewhere on the transaction wire, goaltender Ilya Samsonov signed a one-year, two-way contract with the San Jose Sharks worth US$850,000 at the NHL level after a season in the KHL, the Mercury News reported. The Carolina Hurricanes signed defenceman Pierre-Olivier Joseph to a one-year, US$850,000 deal, according to The Hockey News, and forward Tyson Jost will attend Nashville’s camp on a tryout, Daily Faceoff reported.
The league also confirmed that the 2027 NHL Draft will be decentralized for a third consecutive year, TSN reported. It is scheduled for June 25 and 26, 2027.
Sources: NHL Morning Coffee Headlines, Spector’s Hockey (Lyle Richardson, Sept. 8 and Sept. 9, 2026), aggregating reporting from TSN, Sportsnet, the Winnipeg Sun, Daily Faceoff, The Province, the Ottawa Sun, Boston Hockey Now, the Mercury News and The Hockey News.
Photo: Sidney Crosby, March 2018. Credit: Michael Miller, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Archive photograph.
